Miles to Go
by readwritereview20
Summary: Sequel to my story The Distance! Takes place during Insurgent, slightly AU *obviously expect SPOILERS for Insurgent and Allegiant*. Eric has been stuck in a downward spiral, but can the reappearance of the one person who he never thought he would see again save him from himself before it's too late? Eric/OC
1. Prologue

**Hello everyone! So like I said in the description, this is a sequel to my story The Distance, if you haven't read it I recommend you start there so that this story makes sense. I am putting this up now and I should start posting actual chapters again in a couple of days. Enjoy and don't forget to review!**

**The woods are lovely, dark and deep,**

**But I have promises to keep,**

**And miles to go before I sleep,**

**And miles to go before I sleep.**

**Robert Frost - Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening**

**I don't own the Divergent trilogy or Eric, just my OCs and original plot ideas.**

**Miles to Go**

**Prologue**

"This is unbelievable."

I scoff, "We all knew this was coming, Amar. Tension has been so high within the city this last year," I lean forward in my office chair, elbows on my knees and my chin in my hands.

"Yes," Alvin replies as he comes to lean against the back of my chair, "But mind controlling an entire faction seems a bit excessive, even for Jeanine."

Movement on one of the screens catches my attention and I zoom in, "Oh god."

If the control room wasn't packed with bureau employees I would be out of my chair pacing right now, but not only is there no room to move, but I can't afford to show that much emotion right now. I turn up the volume and everyone quiets down.

"_Now, this is a happy sight,"_ Eric's voice comes through the speakers loud and clear. It has been a year since I saw him in person, but I have grown accustom to watching him on the screens since I work in the control room.

He leans in close, so that his face is inches from Four's. He has that grin on his face that he wears sometimes these days; he never smiles anymore, not his real smile. _"The legendary Four,"_ He continues, _"No one's going to remember that I came in second now, are they? No one's going to ask me, 'What was it like to train with the guy who has only four fears?'"_

He draws his gun and I forget to breathe for a moment. "Don't you dare," I hear myself growl under my breath. I have had to watch Eric do a lot of horrible things this last year, things that I know he knows are wrong, but shooting Four would be taking a step past the point of no return.

His gun is against Four's temple and he cocks his head to the side, _"Think anyone would notice if he accidentally got shot?"_ He is asking a woman standing near him, one of the few Dauntless who isn't being mind controlled or divergent.

I don't know her personally but I recognize her as a leader from a year of watching the monitors. She shrugs her shoulders, _"Go ahead,"_ She replies uninterestedly, _"He's nothing now."_

"_Too bad you didn't just take Max up on his offer, Four. Well, too bad for you, anyway," _He clicks the bullet into the chamber and I squeeze the armrest until my knuckles turn white.

Suddenly the girl with Tobias, I'm pretty sure her name is Tris, has her gun out and pointed at Eric's forehead. _"Get your gun away from his head,"_ She orders.

Eric scoffs, _"You wouldn't shoot me."_ He is probably right, but acting like a pompous jerk is only going to provoke her more.

"_Interesting theory,"_ She replies and I can almost see the wheels turning in her head, no she isn't a killer. In a flash she points the gun at his foot and fires. He screams and I stand, I need a break from watching this.

My friend Paula seems to have picked up on this as she has materialized next to me and takes my place at the chair so I can go. I push through the crowd until I am out of the room and into the much less crowded hall.

"You alright?" Alvin asks from the doorway.

I shake my head no before leaning it against the wall. We stand there in silence for a while before I look at him, "I have to go."

He rolls his eyes and comes to lean on the wall right next to me so that no one else will hear our conversation, "We've been over this Gabby, you can't go back."

"That was then," I whisper as I turn the rest of my body to face him. "The situation is different now. Not to mention that he is out of control," I let out a deep breath and shift back and forth on my feet anxiously. One of the main downsides of working in the control room is that I have had a front row seat to watch the man I love begin to spiral out of control.

"You have to stop blaming yourself for his actions, Gabby," Alvin replies, setting a hand that I am sure was meant to be comforting on my shoulder.

"And do what instead?" I ask, shaking his hand off, "Blame you for kidnapping me and taking my away from him?"

He raises an eyebrow at me, "You know what I meant." I take a moment to study him. Alvin is three years older than me and if Eric weren't the only man I could see, I'm sure he would be attractive with his short blond hair and blue eyes. After my initial hatred of him wore off, and I came to terms with the fact that he was only following orders, somehow he became my best friend here.

He's right though, I know that I can't blame myself or him for the way Eric has behaved since I have been gone. Eric's choices are his own and he will have to face the consequences, but I can't just stay here and watching idly.

I growl, "I can't just stand by and watch him self-destruct, I'll never forgive myself if I don't at least try to stop him before he gets himself killed." I am crying now, I have had a year to heal but the wound left after being ripped from my life and the people I love is still very fresh. "Please," I implore as I wipe tears way, "If you don't help me I'll go anyway, but I have a lot better chance of surviving if you help me."

He studies me before finally smacking the wall, "Fine! I'll help you sneak back in, but I'm coming along to make sure you don't get yourself killed."

"Deal," I reply quickly. I smile up at him and he rolls his eyes again.

"Damn you Gabby, you're going to get us all killed," He adds dramatically before starting down the hall. He stops a few feet away and turns back to me, "Meet me tomorrow night, the usual place."

I nod my head eagerly in reply and he walks away shaking his head. It took me a year to convince someone to help me escape from my prison but it doesn't matter now. I am finally going home.

**So I don't have this entire story already planned out and mostly written like I did with the first one. So that is where you guys come in! I want you to tell me what YOU want; scenes, characters, pairings, or anything else you can think of. Review or PM me and I will try to work everyone's ideas in as much as I can. I love you guys and thank you for continuing to support my stories!**


	2. Chapter 1

***Peeks head out of hole she has been hiding in***

**Hello again everyone! I missed you guys sooooo much. I know, I'm a horrible human being. I could blame being in the hospital again, or wok, or flappy bird, or John Green for my lack of presence and writing since the beginning of February, but the truth is much worse. To be honest, with The Distance I knew from day one what need to happen to get me to where I wanted the story to end. With this sequel, I have a rough idea of how I want it to end, but nothing between point A and point B but a few random ideas. I am insanely obsessed with having everything planned out, so this story scares me. BUT when I logged on to for the first time in a couple weeks and checked my story yesterday, I found that I had in total now 12 new reviews encourage me to continue. That, combined with the 6 I knew about, (and I know this sounds cheesy) but it made me cry, it also inspired me to keep writing. To face the unknown and unplanned world ahead of me and be brave.**

**Okay, now that I'm done being weird, thank you so much to everyone who reviewed so far: Guest, Hestia11, thecruelworldwelivein, LoneWolfPack , Kira Tsumi, Siravi, elphiethropp24601, CalaisForever, AB12, Opal and Onyx Lightning, mirakiayah, GuestYoooo, Guest, marisac212, Strike OOO, .Dot, Olivia-Ivy, Laura013 (who PMed me), and anyone else who isn't on this list who favorite and followed this story. I love you guys!**

**I still don't own Divergent…**

**Chapter 1**

**Gabby's POV**

"You sure about this?" Alvin asks as I I softly pull the lab door shut behind me. As I walk farther into the dimly lit room I study my co-conspirator. He is slumped lazily in one of the chairs at the back of the room, leaning the chair back againth the wall so he can prop her feet on the desk in front of him. He is dressed from head to toe in black and a large black backpack is resting against the wall next to his chair.

"Positive," I reply as I hop up to sit on the edge of the counter, careful to avoid sitting on any of the lab equipment. He groans and I smile at him, "You don't have to come, all I ask is that you get me inside the boundaries of the experiment."

After a second he smirks back at me, "You know I can't do that, you'll get yourself killed without me."

"Well stop complaining and let's go!" I reply impatiently.

He studies me for a moment before dropping his feet to the floor. He stands slowly and stretchs his arms above his head, his shirt hiking up for a moment to reveal the tattoo on his left side. Alvin is one of the people that they send in to the experiment when they need someone extracted so he has been trained to blend in with a faction, in his case the Dauntless.

Alvin notes me staring and shoots me a smirk before letting his arms drop. I clear my throat and slide down from my perch, adjusting the bag slung over my shoulder as I ask, "What's the plan?"

He studies me for a moment, "I convinced a couple of people that I was going in to retrieve a divergent tonight but that David wanted it kept quiet." He pauses for a moment before continuing through a yawn, "There should be a car waiting for us."

I nod and am about to ask what we are waiting for, when something occurs to me, "How did you explain taking me along? I mean everyone knows I'm not supposed to go back into the city."

He smirks, "I didn't tell them you were coming."

"Oh and when they see me getting into the car with you on the monitors they'll just assume it's some other girl with blue hair?" I ask sarcastically. He starts fiddling nervously with the strap of his bag, "I'm not going to like this plan, am I?"

Alvin turns and walks over to a supply closet, a moment later he wheels out a cart and an empty body bag, "If I'm going in for an extraction, they'll be expecting me to take a body from the morgue along to plant."

**xxxxxx**

When Alvin finally unzips the body bag I rip off the respirator mask and gasp for fresh air for a moment before grabbing the front of his shirt, "Never again."

"At least we're out now," He replies, glancing around nervously in search of any bureau vehicles coming after us.

He helps me up and I work my way around the car to the passenger door, slowly and on legs that refuse to wake up. "So, what's the plan from here?" I ask, studying the ruins of an old brick building.

Alvin chuckles, "My job was to get us out of the compound and to Chicago, after that I'm just here to make sure you don't get yourself killed."

I nod and consider our options for a moment, "Last time I was at the control room, Four was at Amity, hopefully he's still there. I want to talk to him before I go back in."

Alvin nods in agreement and the remainder of the car ride passes in silence. We ditch the car about half an hours walk from the invisible border that separates the Amity from the outside world.

I hop back and forth from one foot to the other, trying to keep myself warm as Alvin retrieves his bag from the car.

We walk in silence, taking advantage of the dark to sneak into the orchard on the far side of the compound. As my companion scouts for a good tree we can hide in while we regroup, I find myself glancing around, searching the shadows for anyone sent by the bureau to retrieve us.

Alvin must notice my worry as he walks back to me and nudges my shoulder, "Don't worry, we'll head into the city soon and once we make it in you know that they won't try to come after us for fear of compromising the experiment."

I nod before stifling a yawn, "I could use a few a minutes of sleep before we go talk to Four."

Alvin nods in agreement, he points to a tree up ahead, "That one has sturdy branches and it's pretty well hidden from sight by the trees around it."

I followed Alvin up into the tree and despite how uncomfortable the branch I ended up on is and despite the bark digging into my back, I fall asleep almost instantly.

**Okay so this chapter was super short, but I figured I would get it up here before I lost my nerve again.**

**Don't give up on me guys! PM or review things you want to see or ideas, and if I go too long without updating feel free to yell at me. Love you guys!**

**Question of the chapter: I'm interested to hear if you guys have seen the movie yet and if so your opinions on it.**


	3. Chapter 2

**Hello again everyone! You have no idea how good it feels to be writing again! I've missed it and I've missed you guys! Also, welcome to all of my new readers! This story already has more followers than The Distance had after 20 chapters and it took me until chapter 13 to get 30 reviews. Crazy!**

**Hestia11**** – Glad you liked the chapter and I agree about the movie. **

**taytayfanatical**** – Your comment made my smile, the greatest complement a writer can receive is being told that a reader liked a type of writing or situation in their story that they don't normally like.**

**hellraiserphoenix**** – I did ;)**

**thecruelworldwelivein**** – Glad you liked it!**

**CalaisForever**** – I completely agree, I love Theo and I think he did a great job as Four. I'm writing Four's reaction now, hopefully you will like it.**

**peygoodwin**** – The Gidgic reunion is the only scene I have planned out already, I'm hoping you'll like it.**

**Kira Tsumi ****– Very true, I think if they kept everything in and exactly the same as the book it would have to a 14 hour long experience that relied very heavily on Tris narrating parts of the book that work only on paper and not so well on video. **

**taylorgrimsley.14**** – I have been giving her introduction to Tris a lot of thought, I'm hoping everyone likes it. **

**GidgicLover**** – Awwww, thank you. Love the name by the way ;)**

**realityzabitch**** – Incorporating the book into the story is probabaly what scares me the most, I pulled my copy of Insurgent out and I have been re-reading it while I write. **

**Guest**** – Thank you! Glad you liked the chapter!**

**Olivia-Ivy ****– I'm glad I'm back too! Yeah I wrote that scene back when I posted the prologue in February, I just couldn't decide what need to happen after. **

**IceQueen2196**** – I know! The muffin scene and *SPOILERS* the absence of almost all the characters involved in that scene. I love Uriah and Zeke so that was probably my biggest issue with the movie.**

**Unfortunately, I still don't own Divergent.**

"**You can love someone so much...But you can never love people as much as you can miss them."  
>― John Green (Sorry, you know how much I love quotes, I've been getting a bit quote happy over on goodreads.)<strong>

**Chapter 2**

**Eric's POV**

"Have you found Four and the girl yet?" Max's booming voice asks as soon as I have the door shut to Jeanine's office.

"No, but I will," I reply half-heartedly as I slump into the seat across from James. After Gidget died, I decided to embrace the person that everyone believed I was. I focused all my energy on helping Max and Jeanine prepare for our attack on Abnegation. Right now I should reveling in being on the 'winning team', or furious that the only obstacle in our way happened to be those two stiffs.

"For your sake, you had better," Jeanine adds without looking up from her paperwork.

I lean back into my chair and stare out the window. After a while my eyes land on the small tattoo on the inside of my wrist, the interlocking gears exactly like the one on Gabby's hand. I push myself out of the chair and head toward the labs on the second floor.

**xxxxxxxxx**

I pushed the door of the lab open softly, watching from the doorway for a moment while Andrew continues to work away at his desk, oblivious to my presence.

"It's been a while," I say finally, leaning against the door frame.

Andrew turns just long enough to study me for a moment, his eyes landing on the blue band around my arm. He turns back to face his computer, "Eric, I haven't seen you since…" He freezes, his entire body tensing up as he realizes that the last time we spoke was at Gabriella's funeral. After a moment he seems to snap out of it, clearing his throat, "I heard you were here."

It didn't take someone who had known Andrew for his entire life to tell that he was angry, "Yeah, I've been working with Jeanine for a while now."

My oldest, and possibly only remaining friend, scoffed loudly, "Apparently." The room descended into tense silence, the kind you can almost feel as the air seems to thicken and your clothes suddenly feel sizes too small. After a moment he sighs, "Did you need something in particular?"

"No, it's just," I pause, unsure of why I stopped by. I suppose that it was because of her, Gabby had been gone for 367 days now, some days it felt like a life time, others just a few days. I take a deep breath, "Never mind."

I turn to leave but his voice stops me, "You know something the Eric?" His tone is dripping with a fury that I can't account for. He doesn't wait for an answer to his question, "After you left her fune… that night, when it was all said and done, I defended you. When people asked why I was okay with her being with a monster, I…" He growls softly, pausing for a moment before turning to face me and shrugging dramatically, "Well, I'm Erudite, I hate being wrong."

I take a step back into the lab, "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"It means," He started, finally pushing his chair back and standing, "It means that the moment she's gone you become something she would have hated, something that I swore you weren't."

"That's not fair, you know how I felt about your sister, it crushed me when she died," I growl back coming to stand a few inches away from Andrew. "Not to mention, you're Erudite and just as much a part of this coup as I am."

His voice lowers, but keeps the venom from when he was shouting, "I didn't have a choice in the matter, it's not like Jeanine held a meeting, asking if it would be ok with everyone if she went after an innocent faction for personal gain. This isn't Amity, we don't make decisions as a group, but if I had known, I wouldn't have chosen to go along with it." He studies me for a moment before his voice comes again, a fierce whisper just loud enough for me to hear, "You know what I think, those character traits had to be down there buried. Good men don't just suddenly turn out to be killers; don't order their soldiers to shoot innocent women and children in the street."

"Shut up," I growl back, now toe to toe with the man who was once like a brother to me.

"I'm just glad she didn't have to see what kind of person who turned out to be, it would have broken her heart." His eyes, those eyes that held the same intelligence as hers but none of the fire, shone with something that I had never seen in them. We stood there locked a staring match for a few seconds before I launched myself at him.

The next few minutes where a blur until two Dauntless ran into the room and pulled us apart. I stood there for a second, trying to catch my breath before I realized that I had blood running down the side of my face. I roughly shake off my guard and head out of the room, not knowing where I'm going and not caring as long as it's away from here.

**Let me know what you think of the chapter. I hope Eric didn't get too OOC. Another thing I wanted to mention, Now that we are entering canonical territory, I want to let you guys know: I will keep some of the events of Insurgent and Allegiant the same, BUT I firmly believe in the butterfly effect when I'm writing. Introducing/taking away one character can change events drastically, so trying to stay faithful to the story while making sure it all still flows naturally is my goal. So if there are any moments/scenes you really want to see from the books, let me know and I will try to work them in.**

**Love you guys! I will try to have the next chapter up on Sunday, but this weekend looks like it will be pretty busy so maybe Monday… Tuesday at the latest. ;)**


	4. Chapter 3

**Welcome back! The next chapter is going to be pretty short, so it should be up soon!**

**Strike OOO**** – Thank you! I'm glad it's back too! And I do completely agree about the movie, it was good, just not in the same way as the book.**

**Guest (Ch 2)**** – Why thank you ;)**

**hellraiserphoenix**** – Thank you, hope you like it.**

**thecruelworldwelivein**** – I'm glad that my updating makes you happy ;)**

**Hestia11**** – Interesting thought… I might have borrowed it ;)**

**taylorgrimsley.14**** – Thank you ;)**

**Kira Tsumi**** – me too ;p**

**TheBenBen**** – I'm happy you're happy**

**realityzabitch**** – Awww! Thank you!**

**Anniebananie1252 ****– Interesting thought. I think that our perceptions of other people are unique. I mean you and I could have the exact same conversation with someone, but we might see the person's words and actions differently. I don't think that Gabby or Eric would see Four in the same way that Tris does and therefor he might seem different in my story than in Veronica's because the book is written from the POV of a girl who is in love with Four.**

**IceQueen2196 ****- If or when the story makes it back to the bureau, I can definitely do that. : )**

**Guest ****– Thank you, that really means a lot to me!**

**Olivia-Ivy**** – Thank you, I figured Andrew isn't the type of person to be okay with the attack and I can see that there would definitely be some tension between them after Gabby's death.**

**reekaL0VE**** – I won't give up on it! I can't stand the thought of disappointing you all.**

**marisac212**** – Thank you, I'm glad he isn't too badly OOC.**

**Unfortunately, I still don't own Divergent or Four. **

**Chapter 3**

**Gabby's POV**

I hear the crackling of leaves and twigs before I can actually see two men. Alvin is still dressed in all black, but he has stack of red and yellow clothes tucked under his arm.

Four stops finally, a few feet away from the tree I'm perched in, "Okay, tell me what this is about." He studies Alvin curiously for a moment, "I don't remember you from Dauntless, what did you need to talk to me about so desperately?"

Alvin smiles, studying the younger man in front of him for a moment before running a hand through his hair, "You're right, we don't actually know each other."

I take this as my cue, silently dropping out of the tree to sneak up behind my former instructor. Four shrugs, "Why did you want to talk to me then?"

"He didn't," I reply softly.

Four whirls around, his eyes landing on me for a moment before filling with realization, "Gabby?"

"Hello Four," I say softly a smirk taking over my face at his look of shock, "It's been a while."

"Gabby?"

"Oh no, did that simulation serum affect your ability to speak?" I ask, feigning worry.

He continues to stare at me for a moment before a half smirk touches his mouth, "God, it really is you."

Out of the corner of my eye I see Alvin smirk before he puts in, "I take it she's always been this sarcastic."

Four nods in agreement before turning back to me, "I don't understand, I saw your corpse being pulled out of the chasm. How can you be alive?"

I open my mouth to reply, knowing that I can trust Four, but when I catch the slightly threatening look Alvin is sending my way, I rethink my reply. I clear my throat softly, "I've been around."

Four studies me skeptically for a moment, curiosity tinting the edges of his intelligent eyes. He seems like he is about to pressure me for an answer, but the sound of someone calling his name distracts him.

"Tobias? Tobias where are you?"

Four glances my way for confirmation before calling back, "Over here Tris."

The girl I recognize as Beatrice Prior, or Tris, steps into the little clearing we have been hiding in, "Caleb said you went this… Oh," Tris pauses, studying Alvin and I curiously, taking in our black clothes and my hair before adding, "What's going on?"

"Tris, this is my friend…" I cut Four off before he can tell Tris who I am. I'm sure that if Four trusts Tris, I should be able to too, but I don't. Seeing her stand there now brings back the memory of her holding her gun to the love of my life's head, and it takes every ounce of self-control I have not to say or do something I'm sure I will regret later.

It's not even that I can blame her for what she did. Eric was, and still is, completely out of control. I also see the way she looks at Four and I know that is someone was threatening Eric, I wouldn't have hesitated to do the same thing.

I rationalize my mistrust as being careful and decide to use my middle name instead of my first, just in case. "I'm Marie," I pause briefly motioning to Alvin, "This is my friend Al." Tris gives me a strange look but I don't pay attention long enough to analyze it, "Four was my instructor when I was a Dauntless initiate last year."

Tris studies me for a moment, seeming to mirror my suspicion as she studies me like I'm a wild animal she must be cautious of. After a moment she nods and I focus back on my mission. All that matters to me right now is getting back into the city before it's too late to stop Eric from self-destructing.

Alvin taps me on the shoulder and hands me a stack of clothes. He seems to be enjoying the idea of spending time in the Amity compound about as much as I am, but we both know if we are going to survive this we can't rush in. We need to regroup, and if getting to my boyfriend in time means spending a couple of days cooped up with the overly docile faction, then it's worth the torture.

**So what do think? Let me know! **

**I have a long day of work ahead of me, when I check my phone on break and find reviews from you guys it makes me day 100% better. Love you guys!**


	5. Chapter 4

**Holy guacamole people! I know it took me a bit to update, but it was really feeling the love! 23 Reviews since my last chapter went up. And while I'm on the subject, sorry it took forever, life's been crazy.**

**Guest**** - Thank you! I'm excited for them to meet again too.**

**IceQueen2196**** – It's all good, glad you like it!**

**ToxicArt123**** - Don't worry, I have no intention of stopping this story!**

**CanYouFeelTheLoveTonight**** - I did and glad you like it**

**Guest**** – Glad it's addictive, that means a lot!**

**ladyofstayne**** - I will update again soon!**

**Supreme Dictator of Cupcakes****- Thank you! LOVE the name btw!**

**Guest**** – Thank you **

**helloimsupermaaan****– WOW, I'm glad you like it that much!**

**Squidgylove**** - Eric is my fav too. HOWEVER, you have to read the books first!**

**Chocoegg333**** – Thank you, me too ;)**

**Strike OOO**** – Don't get me wrong, I love Tris, but that doesn't mean that Gabby does/will.**

**Guest **** - :] (you guys really need to start coming up with names so I can tell your reviews apart, lol)  
><strong>

**hazu23**** - I know, I'm getting excited to write it.**

**pmollymay**** - Oh thank you!**

**Kira Tsumi ****– I know, it might take a bit. Things have to happen first**

**thecruelworldwelivein**** – Thank you **

**marisac212 ****– I will try my best!**

**peygoodwin**** – Interesting questions… :]**

**Olivia-Ivy**** – Oh my gosh that made my day.**

**CalaisForever**** – I hope it lives up to your expectations when I write it.**

**Laura013**** – I am!**

**Hestia11**** – I imagine the same happy dance I do every time I see a new review.**

**Chapter 4**

**Eric's POV**

"So you shoot someone with this and it implants a simulation receiver?" Max asks, studying the device and gun lying on the in front of him.

"Put simply, yes," Jeanine begins without looking up, but the sound of the door to her office opening draws everyone's attention away from the weapon.

A middle aged Erudite man walks in, studying us all cautiously before seeming to look to Jeanine for confirmation that it is okay to speak in our presence. A slight nod of her head is the only confirmation he needs to begin, "I apologize for the interruption, but we have tracked the Prior girl, Eaton boy, and a group of surviving Abnegation to the Amity compound."

Jason nods, "I had heard that the Amity opened their doors as a safe house of sorts."

"I'll get a group of Dauntless together and go get them," I start, pushing myself up and out of my chair, anxious to get my hands on the two freaks.

"No," Jeanine replies, tapping her nails on the desk thoughtfully as I drop back into my seat. "I'll send a few of my people into Amity with yours, but you should stay here and keep preparing to lead the team we send to Candor."

The look in her eyes tells me I don't have a choice in the matter, so I don't argue. I listen to the rest of the conversation halfheartedly, only picking up on bits and pieces. It's decided that a group of Dauntless and Erudite will head in tonight to take care of the annoying pests hiding out at Amity.

The thought takes me back to school, an obscure memory I hadn't thought about in a long time…

_I am sitting at our usual outdoor study table with Gidget and Andrew. The early summer sun is beating down and most of the other kids are running around the yard or sitting in the grass. _

_Gabriella is studying the page of her text book like it holds the answers to all of life's questions, absently tapping her pen on the table as she scans the page between jotting notes in her notebook. A sudden high pitched obnoxious laugh pierces the peaceful scene, causing her to jump and results in a jagged line drawn over her neatly printed notes. _

_She growls softly, gripping her pen so tightly that I can hear the plastic crackle as splinters under the pressure of her contracting fist. _

_After a second she lets out a high pitched chuckle, imitating the two Amity girls huddled on the grass near our table. The two girls share a concerned stare before apologizing softly and moving away. _

_Andrew and I share a look, before turning back to our studies. Gidget never looks up from her book, even when she mumbles "Stupid annoying Amity," under her breath once the girls have gone. _

The memory brings a small smirk to my face and I find my eyes drifting to the tattoo I got the on my wrist after her death. The Erudite man leaves the room and I am forced to tune back into the conversation as it shifts back to the device on Jeanine's desk.

**I know, super short. But I figured this would hold everyone over until I can finish the next chapter. I've been having trouble writing these chapters because I have so many ideas for later in the story now, but almost none for the chapters in the middle. Hopefully I'll be able to post again soon. Love you guys!**


	6. Chapter 5

**Hello again my lovely readers! Life has been crazy but I'm so excited about this story not to fit it in to my schedule. **

**I still don't own the Divergent world or Eric and Four. **

**Hellraiserphoenix**** – I did, and I will!**

**Olivia-Ivy**** – Exactly! And yeah I loved the idea, plus anything for my most loyal reader. Lol ;)**

**taylorgrimsley.14**** – Thank you!**

**CanYouFeelTheLoveTonight**** – Thank you, I love writing the flashbacks. And I agree that quality is more important than quantity, but not everyone feels that way…**

**Supreme Dictator of Cupcakes**** – Thank you and I'm glad you like it!**

**Pmollymay**** – Maaaybe… ;)**

**Hestia11 – Not gonna lie, your comment made me tear up when I first read it. Thank you!**

**marisac212**** – I hope it lives up to your expectations**

**Ashes 08**** - I'm glad to hear I have kept your attention and that you like it! I am very excited to write their reunion!**

**hazu23**** – Glad everyone liked the flashback, I didn't add it until like 5 minutes before I posted the chapter lol**

**KirikaAndo**** – I did, and thank you **

**TSCxHG**** – ME TOO!**

**Silver-Assassin7**** – Not exactly. In my version of events the reason Eric is so messed up is because he lost the only person left who cared about and believed in him. Also, have you read the books? It doesn't sound like you have; I really encourage you to read them because they are sooo much better than the movie. Thank you for the reviews!**

**Chapter 5**

**Gabby's POV**

"What are you doing out here?"

I look up to find Four standing over me, his arms crossed and his head cocked to the side curiously. I force myself up onto my elbows, squinting my eyes against the sun's blinding light. "There's a lot of drama going on in there," I reply softly, resting my weight on one elbow so I can pick the grass out of my curls, "I like it out here; forgive my phrasing, but it's peaceful out here."

Four nods in agreement and we stay there in silence for a while.

"Don't worry about it. It would have been Al or I breaking the Amity's number one rule if it hadn't been Tris," I say with a smile, thinking about how many times I have wanted to punch someone in the last day and a half. "I take it you'll be leaving soon."

"What about you?" He asks, sitting across from me in the grass.

I think about it for a moment, "I'm headed back into the city too." I study the leaves on a nearby apple tree as the breeze makes them dance, "I need to see him…"

"Four! Four! Where are you?"

Four stands up and walks toward the voice, "Tris?" I stand, watching as Four ducks under a tree branch and through the clearing to his girlfriend. As he approaches the small girl she stops him from talking with her lips, the kiss is brief but it is enough to make pain radiate through me. I watch them talk for a moment before he picks her up and begins to make his way toward the main building.

I stand there for a moment before pulling the small folded note my brother gave me before my choosing ceremony out of my pocket. I had put it in my pocket before my fear landscape to remind me why I chose Dauntless. I'm glad that I did because it's the only piece of my brother I've had this last year.

After a moment I tuck the note back in my pocket, deciding that I will have to make time to stop by Erudite and see Andrew before I leave the city.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

That evening I am sitting in the dining hall between Caleb and Alvin. Despite my mistrust of his sister, I find myself warming up to the slightly older Prior sibling. Probably because he chose Erudite, and even though he has defected now, he still acts very much like one. At times he reminds me of Andrew.

"I still can't believe that you are Martin Lester's daughter, Marie," Caleb says softly between bites of food, "He's a brilliant man, your father."

I nod, about to take a bight of my diner roll, when Four nocks it out of my hand. I look up and find him watching me innocently, "I've dealt with enough of that today."

I am about to ask what he means when the doors to the cafeteria burst open and a breathless Tris pushes her way to our table. She gasps for air for a moment before uttering one word as Four reaches for her shoulder, "Erudite."

"Crap," I hear Alvin breath, already pushing himself into a standing position.

"Coming here?" Four asks, Tris nods in reply, "Do we have time to run?"

The Abnegation at the other end of our table are paying attention now, "Why do we need to run? The Amity established this as a safe house. No conflict allowed," Susan adds to the conversation, glancing at Tris out of the corner of her eye.

I scoff, "Easier said than done, words and rules don't stop bullets."

"Spoken like a Dauntless," Marcus murmurs but nods his head in agreement none the less. "She is right though, the Amity will have trouble enforcing that policy. How do you stop conflict without conflict?"

"How do we leave now? We don't have enough time, they'll see us," Peter puts in, sounding like the coward I can sense that he is.

"Tris has a gun," Four says confidently, "We can try to fight our way out."

"G-Marie and I have a couple extra weapons stashed in my room," Alvin puts in.

Tris and I make eye contact and for the first time I feel like we are on the same page, "No, we should at least try to hide before committing to a suicidal escape attempt."

Tris nods, "Disguises. They won't know for sure that we are still here, we can pretend to be Amity."

The others start toward the dorm rooms and I grab Four's arm, "I won't be able to hide in plain sight like the rest of you." I point to my blue streaked curls for emphasis and he nods, "I don't want to risk the lives of the others by coming back here with you guys, so I'll stay in the dorm."

When we get back to the dorm I head right for my room and I am back in my black clothes in a flash. I have a better chance of talking my way out of getting shot if I don't look like I'm trying to hide. I walk out into the hall and Alvin greats me by pressing my gun into my palm.

Once all the others have left Alvin and I decide to split up, hiding in different rooms. I squish myself into the closet and refuse to breathe while I wait. After what seems like an eternity a man in Dauntless black walks into the room, his gun raised and a bright blue band around his arm announcing his allegiance to Erudite.

I am about to close my eyes, when I catch sight of a familiar tattoo on the man's left upper arm. I slide the closet open as quietly as I can and sneak out, pulling my gun free as I tiptoe toward the man. "Not very dauntless of you to let someone sneak up on you," I whisper as I press my gun between his shoulder blades.

The man stiffens, after a moment he turns around, his eyes huge with confusion and remnants of Erudite curiousity, "Gabby?"

I feel a small tear escape my eye and roll down my cheek, "Hi Carl."

We stand there, guns pointed at each other for a moment before abandoning the pretense completely. I let my friend pull me into a hug, "What… How…"

I chuckle, finally pulling away, "It's a long story."

Yelling down the hall draws us back to the present, "I should go before someone else comes this way."

I sigh dramatically, "There are so many things I want to tell you, Jeff, and Jessica… wait is Jes with Erudite too?"

"Carl? Is that hall clear?" Someone yells.

Carl leans his head out the door, "So far it is, I have one room left to check." I watch as he gestures to the room Alvin is hiding in.

"Want me to take care of it? My wing was clear," The other voice replies.

I grab my friend's shoulder and shake my head furiously, he gets the point and nods quickly, "No, I've got it, I'll be back to the dining room in a minute."

"Thank you," I whisper softly, "Listen, I know you have to go, but can you do me a favor when you get back?"

"Anything," He says quickly.

I pull the folded up note that Andrew slipped to me before the choosing ceremony out of my pocket, "Tell my brother that I'm okay, give him this and he'll know you're telling the truth. I'll come and see him as soon as I can."

Carl takes the note from my hand and starts toward the door; he pauses and ducks his head back in, "What about Eric?"

I think it over for a moment, "Don't tell him, I don't want him to hear it from someone else."

Carl nods, "I guess I'll see you around."

"Take care of yourself Carl," I say with a soft smile, "Make sure you're on the right side when this is all over."

Once Carl is gone I sneak over to wait with Alvin. Later when the gun shots start, he is the only thing stopping me from running out to stop it. I knew things had gotten bad inside the city, but being here and watching it happen is another story.

I lay there lost in thought until a couple of hours have passed and I am sure that the Dauntless, Abnegation, and Erudite are long gone.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

I find myself, standing outside, near the fields that seemed so peaceful just hours ago. I watch as Amity men go around gathering up the fallen bodies of Abnegation. Alvin helps them, but I can't seem to move. I watch as he carries the body of a little girl in grey past me, I feel my fists clench.

Before tonight my only focus was on saving Eric and getting back out of here. He was my only priority before, and while he is still my main focus, I know now that I won't be able to stand by and watch as this keeps happening.

Even though I know the truth, about the city and its history, it doesn't change anything. This is my home, my city, and I can't stand by and watch it crumble.

Alvin comes to stand next to me, seeming the least fazed of all the men because of his work with dead bodies back at the bureau. He watches me for a moment before nodding, "I know"

And that is all he has to say for me to know that we are on the same page. We aren't leaving again until this ends.

**I am getting excited now! I am finally starting to get ideas for later chapters!**

**Let me know what you think in the review section, and don't forget, I can still always use ideas!**

**Next chapter is short so it should be up soon (I know, I know. I've said that before and then it's been ages but this time I'm serious) Love you guys! ;)**


	7. Chapter 6

**Hello everyone! So I usually work on Sunday evenings, but had tonight off and I have been super productive. I have finished rough drafts of three chapters, including this one, in the last twenty four hours. I am really excited to be posting. :]**

**Shiranai Atsune**** – Soon, I promise. That may or may not have been one of the 3 chaps I wrote today ;)**

**Pmollymay**** – Oh I plan on her an Carl having a "discussion". As for the Gabric reunion, well you'll just have to wait and see. ;)**

**Kira Tsumi**** – Thank you!**

**Olivia-Ivy**** – Glad you liked it; I couldn't just have her stand by and watch. I don't really do it on purpose but I can see that now lol**

**Hestia11 ****– Thank you! Me too!**

**CanYouFeelTheLoveTonight**** – Thank you, I'm glad to hear that because mixing my own storyline with canonical events is always nerve-racking.**

**Hellraiserphoenix ****– Thanks, I did and I will!**

**hazu23**** – It will be soon, I have to build up the suspense and get things set up first.**

**Guest (#1)**** – I am excited to write future chapters! Thank you for reading!**

**Realityzabitch**** – Thank you! I am always afraid that everyone is too ooc!**

**Guest (#2)**** – Me too! Soon I promise!**

**I don't own the Divergent world or Veronica's characters.**

**Chapter Six**

**Eric's P OV**

I watch as the cars pull back up in front of Erudite headquarters. Once they have all stopped, a middle aged woman in blue climbs out of the first car. The woman approaches Jeanine; at first the Erudite leader looks pleased, but her mood shifts suddenly. I look on as she back hands the other woman before turning and storming back inside.

"I take it all didn't go according to plan," I say dryly as one of the men I recognize from the returning group walks by.

The man freezes nervously, I assume because he thinks that I intend to hit him like Jeanine. He turns to face me, I remember where I knew him from; he was one of Gabby's initiate group friends, Carl I think. "No sir," He replies quickly, "We got most of them but Four and some of the others managed to get past us."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"You wanted to see me?" I ask as I push the door to Jeanine's office open later that day.

"Yes," she replies simply, continuing to read until I have shut the door and positioned myself in the seat across from her. "No doubt by now you have heard that Beatrice Prior and Tobias Eaton have eluded us again."

"I have," I confirm, lacing my fingers together in front of my chin.

Jeanine nods, "No doubt they will make their way to Candor headquarters, where the rest of your faction is camped out. I have decided that when my source within Candor has confirmed their arrival, I want you to lead an attack."

"To kill Four and Tris?" I ask simply.

She considers this for a moment, "That would simply be a pleasant side effect. I need a couple of test subjects, Divergent specimens whose brains are fully developed to be specific. While the majority of your men are injecting the occupants of Candor with these," She pauses and pulls one of the simulation transmitter injecting rounds out of her desk, "I want you to identify and round up as many Divergent as you can. Find me a couple good specimens and execute the rest."

I pause before responding, swallowing hard. Sure, in the last year I have done a lot of terrible things, and I have stood by and let a lot of horrific things happen; but what she is implying, personally putting down any Divergent I find, including children, that is the point of no return.

I start slightly, realizing that the head of Erudite is watching me, waiting for a reply. "Yes ma'am," I stand quickly, "I'll be waiting on your orders."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"_We have them all rounded up down at the end of the hall," One of the soldiers says, stepping over unconscious bodies as he walks down the hall toward me._

_I walk to the end of the corridor, avoiding the black and white clothed Candor cluttering the floor. As I approach the other end of the hall the lights seem to be going out, every few feet a single bulb flickers rapidly while the others remain unlit. _

_I find myself standing over the cluster Divergents. Almost as if I am no longer in control of my own movements, my arm raises and my gun is level with the nearest girl's head. She is young, probably about fifteen. _

_I click my gun's safety off, making eye contact with each of the others in turn. I swallow hard before looking back down at the girl. Her head is bent, her posture rigid but not quaking with fear, she seems… oddly calm. _

"_Any last words," I ask, the chill in my own voice terrifying me. _

_The girl raises her head, her blue eyes slowly meeting mine. Her brown curls falling to shield most of her face, but her eyes pierce through the curtain of brown and I can feel them staring straight into my soul. _

"_Why are you doing this, Eric?" She asks softly. _

"_G-Gidget?" I ask, staring suddenly at the version of her that I kissed for the first time the morning of my choosing ceremony. I am still unable to control my body, I can feel my trigger finger tightening but I can't seem to stop it._

I sit up in bed, drenched in a cold sweat. It was just a dream.

Relief floods through me for a moment before being replaced by a heavy weight in the pit of my stomach. It was just a dream. Gabby is still dead. I'm still alone.

**Let me know what you think in the reviews. To be honest I am really excited to get the next few chapters published, so I intend to post a lot this week.**

**Remember that your reviews inspire me to keep writing and brighten my day when I am at work. ;) Love you guys!**


	8. Chapter 7

**Hello again my lovelies! I have missed writing this much these last couple months of writers block. I am sooo excited for the next few chapters. (I just finished the rough draft of ch 9)**

**AND I have to say that I am immensely flattered and blown away by the amazing followers I have. This last chapter I broke ****100 reviews****. I have been posting stories online since I was 14 and I have never had so many amazing followers and readers. I honestly appreciate each and every one of you.**

**CanYouFeelTheLoveTonight**** – I love writing from his POV. I love the challenge of trying to fit the Eric I picture into the events of Veronica's books.**

**Silver-Assassin7**** – Thank you! I will!**

**Pmollymay**** – It's weird, I know, but I love writing nightmares.**

**Kira Tsumi**** - ;)**

**Releina Artemis Rockefeller**** – You have absolutely no idea how much reading you reviews, on this story and The Distance, meant to me. It quite literally made my day. I have loved telling stories for as long as I can remember and I have lived for writing my ideas down ever since I learned to write. To hear that someone appreciates my work so much is… unbelievable and amazing. Thank you!**

**Olivia-Ivy**** – I love trying to bring more depth to a character that most people write off as being pure evil. And funny you should mention that scene… That is all I am saying though.**

**CalaisForever**** – I did, I am, and I will.**

**Hestia11**** – I'm glad you like it!**

**Warrior of the Stars**** – I'm glad you like the story thus far, and don't worry, soon…**

**I still don't own Divergent, just two copies of each book.**

**Chapter 7**

**Gabby's POV**

I pull my jacket around me, crossing my arms tightly in front of me in an attempt to keep out the cold evening wind. I stare down from my perch, following the side of the building to the cracked street below.

It still feels so strange, being back home. I look to my left, my eyes landing on Erudite headquarters as they shine like a beacon in the fading light.

After the massacre at Amity, Alvin and I stayed to help clean the mess up, helping gather and bury the bodies of the fallen Abnegation. We decided to lie low there the next day, not arriving back in the city until midmorning today.

The crunch of gravel causes me to break from my thoughts, a small smile creeping up onto my face. "You have no idea how much I have missed you," I whisper softly, finding it hard to stop the tears filling my eyes.

He chuckles softly, "I think I have some idea."

I turn around and throw myself at my older brother, wrapping my arms around him as tightly as I can. Finally, when I feel as though my arms are about to break, I pull back.

"I hope you understand that I'm going to have to kill you later for letting me think you were dead for an entire year," He smirks, but it quickly fades to a grimace, "But now is not the time."

I pull back a little, confused by the sudden change in my brother's mood, "What's going on Andrew?"

"Ever since half of the Dauntless sided with Erudite and moved in, your friend Carl has been keeping me informed about the goings on of the powers that be." He pauses, watching me cautiously, like I am a stick of dynamite and he is holding a match too close to my fuse. "When Carl came to tell me that you were still alive, he was in a hurry. I asked why, he told me," He hesitates again, "He was about to leave with a group of Dauntless to attack Candor. He warned me because he knows that not all of the Erudite agree with Jeanine's actions."

"She's after the divergent?"

He nods in response, staring off in the direction of Erudite for a moment before shaking his head, "I can't stay there anymore, pretending to be okay with Jeanine's tyranny."

I study my brother for a moment, "Do you know what she is planning next?" He shakes his head no, but I can tell by the look in his eyes that there is something he isn't telling me, "Andrew."

He sighs, "All I know is, the attack isn't just to round up the divergent, Jeanine wants them lined up and shot. She is also using the attack to get everyone inside the Merciless Mart long range simulation ready," I open my mouth to express how revolting I find the leader of my old faction, but I can tell that there is more.

I stare into his eyes for a moment, knowing what he is about to say, but hoping with every cell in my body that I'm wrong, "Tell me."

"Eric is leading the attack."

I pull away, feeling my fists clench at my sides. I hesitate for a moment before beginning my march toward the stairwell.

"Where are you going Gabriella?" Andrew shouts after me.

"I'm going to stop the man I love from making a horrible mistake that he can never undue," I pause at the door, "I just hope I'm not too late."

**DUN DUN DUN! Let me know what you think! I honestly love hearing from you guys; it makes me smile and dance around like an idiot. Love you guys!**


	9. Chapter 8

**Hey everybody! I was going to update last night, but I had a horrific asthma attack and by the time I could breathe normally I just passed out. Sorry! So I actually have had this scene written out back when I was still writing The Distance, so I hope you all like it or at least come to appreciate it. ;)**

**CanYouFeelTheLoveTonight**** – I love writing Andrew, I based him off of my older brother a little so this scene was hard to write without crying.**

**Shiranai Atsune**** – About that… ;) you'll just have to read**

**CalaisForever – Thank you! I am having fun writing it! ;)**

**Olivia-Ivy**** – yet? And don't worry you can only kill a character so many times.**

**Pmollymay**** – I know, I tried to make it longer but nothing else fit**

**Silver-Assassin7**** – I did!**

**Lizzy B**** – Thanks! I love Eric too**

**Releina Artemis Rockefeller**** – I updated as fast as I could!**

**TheBenBen**** – Thank you! Glad you liked it!**

**Guest (ch 7) – Aww, thank you!**

**Guest (ch 8) – not sure if you are the same guest so I am replying separately. Thank you so much, I'm glad you enjoy my writing. And yeah, I had a hard time deciding how he should react. In the end it worked itself out…**

**I don't own Eric or the dialogue from Insurgent.**

**Chapter 8**

**Eric's POV**

I walk through the shattered glass doors of the Merciless Mart, the shards of glass that coat the floor crunch under my boots. I scan the room, the limp bodies littered across the floor reminds me of my nightmare.

"_Why are you doing this, Eric?"_

Gabby's sad voice rings in my head and I feel a familiar lump rise in my throat.

"Not sure why we can't just shoot them all in the head," Bob mutters, "If there's no army, we win."

The snide remark from the soldier brings me out of my self-hatred, self-pity, disappointment in myself… whatever this awful feel in the pit of my gut is. I shake it off, forcing myself to be the cold leader they are all expecting me to be. "Now Bob, we can't just kill _everyone_," I reply as coldly as I can manage, but I know it comes out much weaker than I intend.

I clear my throat softly, all too aware of Bob's eyes on me as I continue, "No people means no one left to create prosperous conditions. Anyway," I pause before snarling, "It's not your job to ask questions." I take a deep breath before shouting, "Half in the elevators, half in the stairwells, left and right! Go!"

I run behind the group of soldiers going up the stairs to the second floor; at this point with this level of self-conflict surging through me standing still for any amount of time doesn't appeal to me. When I reach the second floor landing my men have already blitzed the occupants and there are unconscious Candor strewn across the floor.

I am at the far end of the hall, checking bodies for signs of alertness, when someone calls my name. I walk back toward the voice, passing one of the younger soldiers on my way. She is shaking and, while I don't have time to deal with her now, I make a mental not to find out who she is later and make sure she is taken off of missions since she is clearly not one of Dauntless' finest.

One of my soldiers is standing over a kneeling woman in black and white, her hands held behind her head and his gun pointed squarely at her. "Divergent," I grimace for a brief moment before feigning a smile, "Well done. Bring her to the elevator bank. We'll decide which ones to kill and which ones to bring back later."

The divergent woman shrieks as she is dragged down the hall by her pony tail and I resist the urge to flinch. I straiten my posture and puff out my chest, walking down the hall with purpose like the confident, cold, and cruel leader I play in this twisted puppet show of Jeanine's.

I study the bodies on the ground halfheartedly as I walk, trying not to see a little of Gabby in every divergent we find. I am about to head to the elevator bank when movement on the edge of my field of vision catches my attention.

The nervous female soldier I passed before is crouching next to the body of a little girl, whispering to her. I duck back behind a pillar and continue watching. The girl stands, scanning the main hall to see if anyone is watching her. When she is confident that she is not being observed she tells the kid to run and then turns to watch as the girl scrambles down the nearest flight of stairs.

I stalk up behind her, realizing now why she seemed to be trembling earlier. I smirk at my luck, as I come to a stop a few feet behind the unsuspecting Beatrice Prior. She catches sight of our reflections and freezes instantly.

We stay like that, locked in a staring match with each other's reflection for a moment before she turns and tries to slam her elbow into my face. I move quickly, but she still manages to catch my chin as I grab her by the arm and level my gun at her head.

I find myself smiling, "I don't understand how you could possibly be stupid enough to come up here with no gun."

"Well I'm smart enough to do this," She replies before driving her heal into the foot she recently shot me in. I hear myself screech in pain just before the heel of my gun connects with her jaw. Blood trickles down her neck and I find myself rethinking my self-conflict over putting some of these divergent pests down.

"I was surprise to discover you were still live," I say calmly in an attempt to show her that she hadn't shaken me, "Considering I'm the one who told Jeanine to construct the water tank just for you." Okay, so that was only half true. Jeanine came up with the idea; I simply suggested that the water tank fear would be the most feasible. "She thought studying one of the Divergent's reactions to a real-life version of a simulation would be fascinating," I add, noticing with some satisfaction that she grits her teeth in response.

After a moment, I continue, "And I agreed. You see, ingenuity – one of the qualities we value most in Erudite – requires creativity." I begin prodding her along with my gun as we walk toward the elevators, doing my best to hide the limp caused by my throbbing foot. "Sometimes creativity seems wasteful, illogical… unless it's done for a greater purpose. In this case, the accumulation of knowledge."

I am distracted for a moment as I realize that I just quoted Dr. Lester, Gabby's father. Tris takes advantage of this moment to kick my with her heal, right between my legs. I can't help it, I scream, at a much higher pitch than I am proud of. I cut it off and push the pain down, but my grip on the Stiff has loosened enough that she tries to make a break for it.

I quickly regain control, grabbing her by the elbow and returning the favor by squeezing her recently injured shoulder. "I thought I recalled from the footage of you in that water tank that you got shot in the shoulder," I growl, grabbing her roughly as she crumbles to her knees, "It seems I was right."

When we reach the elevator bank, I throw her down next to the others, quickly instructing a man to have gun on her at all times. The elevator closest to me opens, I watch as they drag Zeke's kid brother over to the group. That does surprise me; I had never expected that of him. I stand back for a moment to regain my composure, waiting as my men file back, reporting completed sweeps of floors above and depositing divergent onto my growing pile.

Finally, I clasp my hands behind my back and begin to pace in front of the group, "My orders are to take only two of you back to Erudite headquarters for testing." I continue to move as I deliver my speech matter-of-factly, "The rest of you are to be executed." The woman to Tris' right takes in a sharp breath and whimpers softly; I ignore her and continue, "There are several ways to determine who among you will be least useful to us." I stop in front of a little Candor boy, probably about ten.

"_Start with the younger ones, they will be of the least use to us, and it will scare the others into submission."_

Jeanine's orders to me ring in my head. I swallow hard and click the safety off on my gun. "The brain finishes developing at age twenty-five, therefore you divergence is not completely developed." I raise my gun, leveling it with the child's head.

_Are you really going to do this?_ A voice in my head that is unmistakably Gabby's asks. I shake slightly as my finger moves to the trigger. The little boy stares up at me, refusing to break eye contact._ If you do this, there is no going back. This is crossing a line that can't be uncrossed_.

The few seconds between the end of my speech and now have felt like an hour. As I continue to stare at the boy, I realize that this is not a line I want to cross.

If I lower my gun now, though, I will be giving up everything. I'll have nothing left, I betrayed the people I lead for Jeanine. If I walk away now…

_You know you can't do this, you might be screwed up, but you're not evil. _Her soft voice in my head soothes me, and I lower the gun microscopically.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?"

That time her voice in my head was different, more real and definitely angrier. I take a quick moment to contemplate how, even when it's just an imaginary voice in my head, girls can be so temperamental and moody.

"Eric?"

Her voice sounds again and I am about to ignore it when I realize that everyone else in the hall is looking past me. I turn my head sharply, scanning the hall over my shoulder for a moment before my eyes land on the form of a girl with chestnut and blue curls. Even with the distance between us, I can tell without a doubt that it is her.

"Gidget?" I ask softly. She holds my stare for a moment before her face softens and I swear that I see a tear roll down her cheek. I open my mouth to speak again, but a burst of white hot pain radiating through my chest causes a strangled scream to escape instead. I feel the knife being pulled back out as I crumple to the floor. I see Gabby's mouth move as she calls my name and runs toward me. Her tear streaked face is the last thing I see before the blackness consumes me.

**Well… It had to be done. Love you guys! *runs away***


	10. Chapter 9

**Hello again everyone! I don't have much to say up here today so let's just get to it!**

**PLEASE READ THE AN AT THE BOTTOM.**

**pmollymay**** – Yeah having asthma sucks!**

**Hestia11**** – I'm afraid that did just happen…**

**hellraiserphoenix****– I did and I will**

**CalaisForever**** – I know I'm pure evil. Or so my sister tells me anyway.**

**Olivia-Ivy****– I'm sorry for that, but not gonna lie, I it took me several chapters of reading Insurgent the first time, to stop hating Tris.**

**TheBenBen**** – Sorry, it had to be done…**

**Shiranai Atsune**** – … ;)**

**Lady Nyght**** – Sorry, hope you will like me again soon**

**Kira Tsumi**** – Yeah… Umm sorry**

**green angel01** **– Thank you, sorry for being evil**

**realityzabitch****– Thank you, glad you liked my AU/canon blend**

**Aleeta6**** – I'm very attached to Eric, believe me that was a hard chapter to write**

**CanYouFeelTheLoveTonight**** – Thank you! Yeah, that was the one part in the story that I couldn't justify his actions for…**

**Lizzy B**** - *pokes head out of hole* don't kill me yet, I need to finish writing this story ;)**

**Just Lindsey**** – Thank you : )**

**I still don't own Divergent.**

**Chapter 9**

**Gabby's POV**

When I finally arrive at the front entrance of Candor headquarters there is a group of loyal Dauntless gathered in the lobby. I can hear Alvin and Andrew still on my heels, although they stopped trying to ask me what I plan on doing several blocks ago, the only sounds I have heard them make recently are gasps for breath.

Once I have stepped through the shattered glass doors, I push my way through the crowd until I find Four.

"Where is he?" I ask quickly.

He seems taken aback by my abrupt arrival, but quickly recovers and answers my question, "I'm not sure, second floor maybe. But Gabby, I think…"

I don't wait for him to continue; I free myself from the throng and run toward the stairs. I slowly sneak out on to the second floor landing, my hand twitching at my side as I force myself to resist the urge to draw my gun.

"The rest of you are to be executed."

I can faintly hear Eric's voice in the distance and I know that I was almost too late. I sneak through a side corridor and come out at the opposite end of the main hall from the elevator bank. I watch as Eric raises his gun to a little boy's head, and for a moment I wonder if I am too late after all.

And then he hesitates; not enough for anyone else in the room to notice, but it's enough to let me know that the man I care about is still in there. I feel myself let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. He doesn't want to cross this line; all he needs now is an out. "What the hell do you think you are doing?" I ask as I step into view. Uriah's eyes are the first to land on me, he seems unfazed for a moment before his eyes widen in shock as he recognizes me.

Eric doesn't seem to react at all, I wonder for a moment if I actually spoke or if the question was merely in my head. "Eric?" I ask, sounding far less authoritatively this time and sounding a bit weaker than I care to admit.

He finally turns his head enough that he can see me, and in that moment I want nothing more in this world than to be in his arms. I feel a warm tear roll down my cheek and I am about to run to him, when I see the flicker of movement over his shoulder.

"NO!" I scream but it is too late. I must find the ability to teleport, because I am at his side in an instant as he crumples to the ground. I roll him onto his back and pull my over shirt off in one swift movement to apply pressure to the stab wound.

I vaguely register the commotion as the hall around me descends into complete chaos. Through the guns going off and people running and screaming, all I can see is the man I love bleeding out on the floor in front of me.

When everything around me has calmed, I find my eyes landing on Tris and Four as he takes the knife from her hands.

"I had to do it, Tobias. He was going to shoot that little boy," She says quietly.

His eyes meet mine for a moment and all I can do is try to burn a hole through his shoulder in an attempt to melt the small girl behind him. A moan from Eric draws my attention back to him and I shelve the anger for later.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

I am sitting on the floor, my back pressed against the wall opposite the door to the room where a group of Candor are treating Eric. I stare at my hands, even though I have washed them several times they still feel like they are covered in his blood. I force myself to focus on breathing and nothing else. In, out. In, out.

"You can't leave me," I whisper to the closed door, "You can't do this to me."

I've lost track of time, I have no idea when I ate last or how long I have been here. I lost feeling in my legs and upper thighs a long time ago, my mouth feels dry.

"You can come in now," An older woman in a black and white dress instructs softly.

I push myself up and walk on unsteady, still sleeping legs to the side of the hospital bed. The doctor and nurses leave the room after a moment and as soon as they are gone I sink into the chair next to the bed, unable to hide how weak I feel.

"I'm so sorry," I slide my hand into his, lacing our fingers together, "I love you. Please don't leave me." I am full on sobbing before the last word leaves my mouth. I rest my head on the edge of the bed, before I know it mental and physical exhaustion take their toll and I fall into a dreamless sleep.

**Okay, so I wanted to have more written before I posted another chapter, but you guys were just so "excited" to read more. ;)**

**So I need you guys to weigh in because I am majorly conflicted about what to do about a certain scene involving Four and Eric and a gun. I wrote it one way and then changed my mind and re-wrote it, and at this point I have ideas for four different ways it could possibly go and then the story after really depends on that scene and…. I can't choose…. So, without spoiling my ideas, I want to ask you guys for ideas.**


	11. Chapter 10

**Hello again everyone! It's been a crazy, busy week so I didn't get to write as much as normal. I'm home sick with the stomach flu though so I have been writing most of the day when I haven't been sleeping. I have rough drafts of the next two chapters done now, so I figured it was time to post this.**

**Opal and Onyx Lightning**** – You don't have to worry about that, well maybe not yet anyways ;)**

**Olivia-Ivy**** – So I was in the middle of a meeting at work, bored out of my mind, when I got your review. I wasn't even supposed to have my phone on me, so there was absolutely no way to explain why I randomly snickered during a lull in the conversation…**

**hellraiserphoenix**** – I did and I will.**

**pmollyma****y – You're welcome, and yeah I think I figured out how to make all of my ideas mesh.**

**CalaisForeve****r – Hmm… It's true, I think they do need to come to some sort of understanding.**

**Hestia11**** – Thank you!**

**Silver-Assassin7**** – Not gonna lie, that made my day.**

**Lady Nyght**** – Yeah that was my problem, I thought about faking his death, I thought about completely abandoning the cannon, but in the end I like what I decided to do.**

**Aleeta6**** – Sure thing, well maybe later because I still need her character ;)**

**Kira Tsumi**** – I am trying for that, obviously I can neither confirm nor deny how that is going for me.**

**TheBenBen**** – interesting thought… I hadn't considered truth serum…**

**CanYouFeelTheLoveTonight**** – Aww, that made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. My sister is like you, she refuses to read any of my stories until they are complete…**

**Dezila**** – Glad you like it!**

**Guest (#1)**** – Your wish is my command**

**Lizzy B**** – Thank you!**

**princesscielchan**** – Thank you! Glad you like my characterization!**

**Guest (#2)**** – Thank you! And don't worry, I have no intention of stopping, unless I die... then it's out of my control.**

**Sadly, I still don't own Eric.**

**Chapter 10**

**Eric's POV**

When I start to regain consciousness, I am overcome by the intense pain emanating from my chest. I force my eyes open a sliver but the light in the room is blinding so I close them again. I try to move but the pain forces me to stay in my current position. I take a deep breath before trying it again and managing to get myself sitting up a little more.

"Woah, woah," I hear a woman's voice coo softly, "Don't move babe."

A flash of the moments before I passed out comes to mind and I remember the girl in the hall with the blue hair. I force my eyes open again. Sure enough there she is, leaning over me, her big blue eyes shining with unshed tears and intense concern.

"Am I dead?" I croak.

She chuckles softly, reaching a hand out to hold the side of my face, "No, and you're not allowed to die anytime soon."

"So," I pause, the dryness in my throat combined with the feeling that someone has stomped on my lungs making it difficult to speak, "You're alive then."

She closes her eyes for a second before nodding, "I'm so, so sorry Eric. I never wanted to leave you and I got back here as quickly as I could." She opens her mouth again, her hand shaking as she starts crying.

"I don't care," I manage to say softly, "I have you back, that's all that matters right now. You can explain the rest later, when I'm not dying."

She chuckles again as she quickly swipes at the moisture on her cheeks, "I told you, you're not allowed to die; that's my thing." She leans into me, softly pressing our foreheads together. We stay like that for a minute before she presses her lips to mine softly. "I missed you so much," She whispers as she pulls away.

"I love you," I manage softly.

"I love you too, now get some rest," She replies as she pulls a chair as close to the bed as she can get it; "I'll be here when you wake up."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"You have to get some rest, if you keep this up you're going to wear yourself out."

The sound of voices wakes me; I decide to pretend that I am still sleeping so I can listen in on the conversation. I hear Gabby snort before replying, "I've slept. I'm not leaving him alone so someone else can try to kill him like that girlfriend of yours."

The other voice, which I now recognize as Four's, returns sounding annoyed, "He was holding a gun to defenseless little boy's head."

"You know what I don't understand," Gabby growls, even without looking I can tell she about to get in his face, "Jeanine controls an entire faction, people out there killed entire innocent Abnegation families, and yet just because when he did something wrong he wasn't under a simulation it's ok to try to murder him."

"He wasn't being controlled, that's the point Gabby," Four replies quickly, his voice just barely kept under control. "He wasn't being forced to do anything when he held a gun to my head, or that kid's. He wasn't being controlled when he had Tris locked in a glass tank so he could watch her drown."

"A person doesn't have to be chemically drugged to be manipulated," She replies simply. After a moment she sighs loudly, "I'll be the first person to admit that he has done a lot of bad things." I can feel her eyes on me now, "And I can guaranty you, whether he will admit it or not, he knows it too. It may not always be with serums, but Jeanine manipulates everyone in one way or another. She takes advantage of any weakness she can possibly find and then she exploits it. I can't speak for him and tell you how she got to him," She pauses before whispering softly, "But the Eric I know is still in there somewhere and I refuse to give up on him."

Four sighs in defeat, "Fine, if you won't go get some rest I'll at least have someone bring you better food."

After a moment I hear the door swing open and then click shut softly. I feel the bed sink as she sits on the edge of the mattress next to my stomach.

"How much were you awake for?" She asks softly.

I open one eye, studying her for a moment before clearing my throat so I can reply, "Enough."

She smiles at me softly before leaning in and kissing me softly, "I meant every word of it."

"You always did try to see the best in people," I reply with as much of a smile as I can manage.

She smiles back, "Just don't make me regret it." She winks at me before reaching for a cup of water and a bottle of pills, "Take these, it should help a little with the pain."

I nod and swallow the medicine before handing back the empty cup, "He's right though. You should go get some sleep, you look exhausted."

She crosses her arms and mumbles sarcastically under her breath, "Well, it's not every day a woman gets a complement like that."

"You know what I meant," I shoot back quickly. After a moment I push myself up a little and she rushes to help me the rest of the way, "As long as you're here, I have to know before I drive myself insane, where have you been?"

She smiles sadly, before quickly glancing over her shoulder like she is expecting someone to burst in. After moment, she looks at me mischievously, "Can you keep a secret, Eric?"

I laugh, as loudly as I can manage, until it sends me into a horrible coughing fit. Once I have recovered, I smile at her, remembering how we used to sit in the roof for hours when we were kids. The gravel digging into our legs and the sun beating down, we would sit up there until we ran out of things to talk about. We would tell each other our deepest secrets and most farfetched dreams.

I nod to answer her question, still trying to stop coughing. She crosses her legs and turns so she is facing me, "I love you and I know I have hurt you enough already so I have no interest in refusing to tell you the truth. However, there are people out there who wouldn't be very happy if this got out."

I nod, "Your secrets are my secrets."

"The Erudite aren't the only ones who use the cameras to observe the city. There are people out there who are watching us all the time. These people have invested a lot into protecting the entire city, but especially the Divergent," She replies softly.

I let this sink in for a moment, "So they took you, to protect you from Jeanine?" She nods affirmatively and I continue, "So you decided to risk it to come back and they just let you?"

She smiles shyly, "Not exactly. I was worried about you, so I snuck back into the city."

"I'm surprised you didn't get yourself killed yet," I reply dryly.

She laughs and smacks my shoulder, "Shut up. You and Alvin have absolutely no faith in me, he said he had to come with me so I wouldn't get myself killed."

I feel my face drop, "He? Who's Alvin?"

She smirks at me, "You're cute when you're jealous." Without missing a beat she leans forward, propping herself up with her arms on either side of my head, "Even if I hadn't come back and we never saw each other again, you would still be the only man I could look at. I love you, you big idiot." With that our lips are connected, I bring my hand up and bury it in her curls.

I have missed this feeling, being loved and wanted; her silky hair running between my calloused fingers. She bumps my chest just enough that I wince and she pulls away quickly. "Oh my gosh, I'm sorry."

Before I can reply, the door opens and I can hear the click of shoes on the linoleum floor. "I think we're interrupting something," A man's voice says, and it isn't until then that I realize that my girlfriend is still basically straddling me.

"Looks like it. What's a stab wound when you haven't seen someone in a year, right Eric?" A second voice that I recognize as Meghan's asks, sounding all too pleased with herself.

Gabby climbs off the bed and runs to her friend. The two are in each other's arms in a flash, and I now have an unobscured view of the tall, muscular, blonde man standing next to them. He turns to me, "I'm Alvin, I've heard a lot about you."

I find myself unable to talk suddenly as mental images of my girlfriend alone with this man spring up in my mind. I quickly school my features and slip back into playing the cold and collected version of myself, "I'm sure you have."

**I figured that I owed you guys a bit of fluff. ;) Let me know what you think! Love you guys!**


	12. Chapter 11

**Sorry this took me a bit longer than normal to post, life has been a bit crazy between work and apartment hunting.**

**Shiranai Atsune**** – ;)**

**Olivia-Ivy**** – I figured I owed you guys some fluff, especially since things have to get a bit worse before they can get better…**

**Opal and Onyx Lightning**** – Don't freak out… yet. ;) Sorry, I can't resist.**

**Lady Nyght**** – I am getting really excited too!**

**CanYouFeelTheLoveTonight**** – Thank you! I figured they at least deserved a moment of peace.**

**Silver-Assassin7**** – He is indeed!**

**trebott**** – I'm glad you like the stories and my portrayal of Eric. To answer your question, I think Jai is amazing. To be honest when I read the books I never pictured Eric the way Veronica meant him to be. The way they portrayed him, physically, in the movie was more true to the way I had pictured him.**

**Lizzy B – I will, thank you!**

**Releina Artemis Rockefeller**** – Glad you liked it. And yeah, I figured some people would have wanted more conflict involed in their reunion, but I figured that they/the story needed some fluff for the moment.**

**Lady Dane**** – Thank you again for all the reviews on this story and The Distance. I hope you like the chapter!**

**I still don't own Divergent or Eric.**

**Chapter 11**

**Gabby's POV**

"So he beat the crap out of Marcus, in the middle of the cafeteria?" Eric asks, finally starting to seem a bit more like himself.

I nod in reply as I take a bight of the apple on his food tray, one thing I will say for the Candor, they don't starve their prisoners.

"I can't believe I missed that," He replies, shaking his head in amazement. Now that he is at least a little better I have found myself venturing out of his room when he is asleep. Never for very long, just enough to take a shower or eat lunch.

"Rumor has it Jack Kang is meeting with Jeanine today," I add to fill the slight lull in the conversation.

Eris thinks this over for a moment, "She isn't stupid, she won't go in person." He pauses for a moment, studying his nearly empty plate for a moment before mumbling, "This won't end well."

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

When the door to Eric's hospital room opens late the next morning, I am expecting to see one of my friends. Jessica and I haven't been able to spend much time together since I got back, aside from the initial meeting a few days ago when she slapped me and then hugged me until I complained of being unable to breathe. Jeff, Justin, Uriah, and Meghan have all stopped by to see me at one time or another. I heard a rumor that Zeke was back, that he and Tori had been spying on the traitors at Erudite, but I haven't seen him yet.

I am sitting in my chair next to Eric's bedside, a book one of the Candor gave me about court room policy held loosely in my left hand. But when I look up, it isn't one of my close friends standing there. It is Four, and I can tell instantly that whatever he is here for isn't going to be good.

"We called a meeting, all loyal Dauntless are gathering upstairs," He pauses for a moment, glancing at Eric out of the corner of his eye, "You need to come."

"Do I?" I ask sharply, still not pleased with Four and not liking that he thinks he can order me around still.

"Yes," He replies simply. I glance to Eric, I can see the gears in his mind working, after a moment he inclines his head toward the door, silently telling me that I should go.

I follow Four in silence to the dorm room where the Dauntless have gathered. Once inside I slip in between Meghan and Justin.

"What's going on?" I ask quietly.

"They went to spy on the meeting between Jeanine and Jack; apparently things didn't go according to plan. I don't know the whole story, but apparently Max is dead and Shauna is in the infirmary," Meghan replies quietly.

My eyes find Four and I raise an eyebrow, silently asking the question, even though I am fairly certain that I already know the answer.

"What were the terms?" Tori asks from a chair, her injured foot propped up. Four breaks eye contact with me, choosing instead to stare at the floor.

Tris clears her throat and begins to recap, "There were three. Return Eric to the Erudite…" I faze the rest of the demands out, realizing why I am here. They won't just give Eric back; they are planning to decide his fate now.

"If Jack Kang is making deals with the Erudite, we can't stay here. So where can we go?" Tori asks thoughtfully.

There are a few murmured responses but no one really steps up, until Four's voice cuts through the room. "Home," He looks up finally, avoiding making eye contact with me, "We should take back what's ours. We can break the security cameras in Dauntless headquarters so the Erudite can't see us. We should go home."

I have to admit, I like the sound of that. Going home and being off the grid, somewhere David and the other's at the bureau can't watch me. Someone shout's their agreement and then the rest of them join in. Even though I earned my membership as a Dauntless, I still feel like an outsider in that moment.

"But before we do that," A man I remember from the tattoo parlor shouts, "We have to decide what to do about Eric. Do we leave him to the Erudite? Or do we execute him?"

"Execute him?" The words have left my lips before I can stop them. Everyone is staring at me now. I take deep breath, now's as good a time as any to alienate myself from my faction I suppose. "You can't be serious."

Lauren steps in before anything can escalate, "Eric is Dauntless. We decide what happens to him. Not the Candor."

Another affirmative shout rises up from those around me and I feel my fists curl. Four finally meets my glance and I try my best to communicate with my eyes everything that I feel like screaming.

Tori steps up again, "The law says that an execution can only be performed by a Dauntless leader. So before we decide his fate, since all of our former leaders are traitors, it's about time that we elect new ones." Everyone nods and she continues, "Dauntless law states that we have to have more than one and there has to be an uneven number. Shout out your suggestions and we'll vote if we need to."

I stand there, too disgusted that these people can all just write the man I love off so easily, I can't be bothered to pay attention. I don't tune back in until it is decided; our new leaders are Tori, Four, and a man named Harrison who I have never met before.

"So we vote?" Harrison asks impatiently, "About if we should execute the traitor." Four and Tori nod and he continue, "I vote we execute him."

I stare Four down as hard as I can, hoping he will remember our conversation from the other day. _Please _I mouth, barely able to keep from crying, or screaming, which I'm not sure. An idea finally occurs to me, I pull the pen out of my hair that I have been using to keep it up in a bun, blue and brown curls falling wildly around my face. I pull a piece of scrap paper out of one of the pockets of my jacket and scribble on it quickly. I hand the folded up paper to Justin who has a clear path to Tori before turning back to Four.

"I vote that we take him with us, he might be able to provide us with intel on Jeanine," He replies finally and I nod appreciatively. Tris turns and stares at him in shock, and I feel a small smirk take over my mouth.

Tori nods, "So it's down to me to break the tie," She is about to continue when my finally note finds her. She reads it quickly before locking eyes with me for a moment. I nod slowly, hoping she can tell that I am being sincere; finally she looks away and clears her throat. "I vote…"

**I know, I'm evil for leaving you with another cliffhanger. So what are your theories on the note? On what will happen to Eric? I'm interested to hear (well in this case read them). Chapter 14 will be up tomorrow. I have a 9hr shift ahead of me, so leave me a review and make my day better! Until then, love you guys!**


	13. Chapter 12

**Hello again my lovely readers! I apologize for the cliffhanger but it was the only way I could split this up that I was happy with. **

**Lady Dane**** – I figured Four can at least relate to Gabby, he knows if it was Tris in Eric's position he would be going insane right now.**

**CanYouFeelTheLoveTonight**** – Glad you liked the chapter!**

**Lady Nyght**** – Interesting theories…**

**Katherine Sparrow**** – I'm glad you liked it and here you go.**

**Aleeta6**** – I completely agree, I didn't think anyone else would agree with me though. It's like after Divergent she just snapped.**

**Niikkii95**** – Aww! Thank you! I want to write more do you are in luck.**

**Olivia-Ivy**** – I tried to warn you…**

**Guest – Again, Interesting theory…**

**marisac212**** – Very true, I guess you'll just have to read and see.**

**Shiranai Atsune**** - … (reply postponed for later)**

**I don't own Eric or the dialogue from Insurgent.**

**Chapter 12**

**Eric's POV**

Jack Kang's announcement over the PA system, advising that he intends to cooperate with Jeanine, ends as quickly as it begins and with the same series of rings. I barely have enough time to decide that this won't go over well before the door bursts open and a group of Dauntless men drag me roughly from the bed.

I am in a tremendous amount of pain and by the time they deposit me in the interrogation chair I feel as though I am going to pass out. Gidget pushes her way through the crowd and laces our fingers together as she kisses my forehead. When she pulls away, her tear streaked face is enough to let me know what is about to happen.

I scan the growing crowd for a moment, until my eyes land on Jeff, "Take her out of here."

He seems to consider this for a moment before stepping forward and grabbing her by the elbow, "Come on, Gabby."

"No," She replies, shaking her head forcefully, "I'm not leaving him."

"Please," I implore her softly, "I don't want you to watch."

"I can't just leave you," She replies forcefully, although she does allow herself to be pulled back toward the crowd a little.

"Would you like me to list your crimes, or would you like to list them yourself?" Tori asks, she sounds tired and I notice that she isn't putting any weight on one of her feet.

I think it over for a moment before scanning the crowd until my eyes land on Tris, the girl who stabbed me in the chest. I still feel the need to play this stupid part, but a small part of me realizes how that must have looked to her as she watched me hold my gun to that kid's head. All the same, if I'm going to die, I'm going to make sure I leave a lasting last impression, "I'd like her to list them. Since she's the one who stabbed me, clearly she's familiar with them."

"Leave her out of this," Four snaps and I smirk, knowing I've hit a nerve.

"Why? Because you're doing her?" I ask and despite the look that Gabby shoots me, I continue, "Oh wait, I forgot. Stiffs don't do that sort of thing. They just tie each other's shoes and cut each other's hair." Four tries to act like my little speech didn't affect him, but I can tell that it did, "I want her to list them."

To my surprise the stiff does as I asked, "You conspired with Erudite. You are responsible for the deaths of hundreds of Abnegation," At this I see Gabby roll her eyes before shooting a pointed look at Four. Tris doesn't notice though, she keeps talking and as she does her voice goes from controlled to a strangled growl, "You betrayed Dauntless. You attempted to shoot a child in the head. You are a ridiculous plaything of Jeanine Matthews."

I feel my smile fade at that last one, I am talking to Tris but staring into Gidget's eyes as I ask, "Do I deserve to die?"

Gabby shudders and looks down at her feet. Tris seems taken aback by my question but still replies before anyone else can, "Yes."

"Fair enough," I agree with a nod, "But do you have the right to decide that, Beatrice Prior? Like you decided that fate of that other boy – what was his name? Will?"

That gets her, and after a moment of her struggling, Four steps in, "You have committed every crime that warrants execution among the Dauntless. We have the right to execute you, under the laws of Dauntless."

As Four readies the three guns, preparing them so that only one has a bullet in it and therefore no one knows who will kill me. I find it harder to keep up this brave façade, regardless of our faction's ideals, everyone is afraid at some point. Gabby looks back up finally, mouthing the word's _I love you, Eric_.

"Wait, I have a request," I say quickly as the three newly elected leaders finish setting up their guns.

"We don't take requests from criminals," Tori snaps, sounding slightly bored.

I find myself staring into Gidget's eyes, wishing that she wasn't here to see this, but knowing that part of why I love her is because she's so stubborn. After a moment I turn back to Four, "I am a leader of Dauntless, and all I want is for Four to be the one who fires that bullet."

Four looks over his shoulder, nervously studying Gabby, before turning back to me, "Why?"

That's a good question, why do I want him to kill me? The honest answer is because I want Gabby to hate him as much as I do in this moment, and the idea of them still being friends still after I'm gone makes me sick. But obviously I can't let my last act as a leader be admitting that I'm jealous, or acting like an obsessive jealous boyfriend. "So you can live with the guilt," I reply finally, "Of knowing that you usurped me and then shot me in the head."

"There won't be any guilt," He replies evenly.

I nod, matching his tone, "Then you won't have any problem doing it." Four picks up a bullet and steps closer, I take a deep breath, locking my eyes with the blue orbs belonging to the girl I love. I rest my hands on the arm rests and try to make myself comfortable, doing my best to ignore the cold beads of sweat rolling down the side of my face. "One more thing," I say just quietly enough so that only the former Abnegation man in front of me can hear. "Don't blame her for any of this; she was never a part of Jeanine's schemes."

"I know," Four replies as he raises the gun. I finally break eye contact with Gidget, closing my eyes and waiting for the bullet to leave the gun. "Eric," I hear Four announce loudly, "Be brave."

**Well, that's all folks. Story's over, the end….**

**I'm joking, I'm joking! Of course I'm not going to leave it there! What sort of person do you think I am? ;) And believe me, I know how much you all hate me right now. Honestly that was the only way that I could split these three chapters up that I was happy with. Stick with me okay. Love you guys!**


	14. Chapter 13

**Hello again everyone! I tried to get this up earlier but I didn't have enough time during my lunch break at work.**

**pmollymay**** – As I said, I tried to update earlier! I swear!**

**Lady Dane**** – "That's the thing about pain, it demands to be felt." Sorry I had to because of Olivia-Ivy's comment. Don't cry, breath!**

**Aleeta6**** – I have come to terms with the fact that I am a horrible person. And thank you, that means a lot to me.**

**Lady Nyght**** – I did, and thank you!**

**hellraiserphoenix**** – Yeah, I was so mad when I read Eric's execution in Insurgent, I had to put the book down for like a day.**

**Silver-Assassin7**** - :(**

**Niikkii95**** – I try**

**CanYouFeelTheLoveTonight**** – interesting theory….**

**green angel01**** - :(**

**Olivia-Ivy**** – Thank you! I took that as more of a compliment than I am sure it was intended as :p and don't punch walls, they have feelings too. Wow, I am way too tired to be responding coherently to reviews right now… I had to rewrite that like 4 times and I'm still not sure it makes sense. **

**I still don't own Eric, just my version of his thoughts.**

**Chapter 13**

**Eric's POV**

I wait for the gun to go off, holding my breath and every muscle in my body stiff. All I can see in my mind as I wait is Gidget crying, her tear streaked cheeks and puffy red eyes. I wait for the sound of the gun being fired; when it finally comes I wait for the brief pain I assume will follow, but nothing happens.

The logical part of my brain finally kicks in and tells me that it has been too long. I slowly open one eye and glance at Four. He is in the same place wearing a self-satisfied smirk, the gun still raised in his hand. After a moment I hear a few snickers from the crowd surrounding me.

"Okay, you had your fun," Gabby says softly breaking free from the crowd. When she is close enough that only I can hear her she whispers, "Although you egged him on enough, I thought he might change his mind and shoot you after all."

"What?" I manage to ask.

I must look extremely confused because Tori steps in, "You should be happy Gabby was on your side, because that gun would have had a real bullet in it she wasn't so… convincing." The two women share a look that I don't understand before my attention is pulled back to Four.

"We have decided to spare your life," He starts, shoving the gun into the waist of his pants, "Conditionally of course."

I look at Gabby and she smiles at me softly, "I only agreed to let them make you think that you were getting executed on the condition that they promised not to actually kill you."

Four nods and Gabby smiles at him briefly before her attention turns back to me. "As I said, there are some terms to your being allowed to live. First," Four pauses to glance around at the crowd of black clothed figures, "Because you have lost the trust of your faction, you have been stripped of your position as a leader of the Dauntless. Second, you will be under constant surveillance by a loyal Dauntless guard until such a time when that is no longer deemed necessary by Tori, Harrison, and myself. Finally, I am releasing you to Gabby and you are her responsibility." I nod, that's smart of them, making it so that I can't defect back to Erudite without putting her in danger.

Harrison rolls his eyes as he steps forward, "Do you accept these terms or would you rather have Four put a bullet in your brain?"

"Oh trust me, he accepts the terms," Gabby answers for me, placing a hand on my shoulder threateningly before I can say anything sarcastic.

"Fine," Four agrees with a nod before turning to the group, "Let's get a move on people!"

Everyone starts out the room and toward the stairs. The mood is suddenly light again. Harrison pulls an injured Tori onto his back and carries her down the stairs. Marlene runs off in the direction of the infirmary with Uriah on her heals, shouting something about needing to tell Zeke and Lynn it's time to go.

"What's going on?" I ask as Gidget moves to check my bandage to make sure that none of the excitement has busted one of my stitches.

She smirks up at me, "We're going home." She tugs my hand and I take a couple steps before she turns back and kisses me quickly. I stare into her blue orbs for a moment and I finally feel like everything will be okay again for the first time in over a year.

**Okay people, I ask again: What sort of sick, demented person do you think I am?! How could I have killed Eric? I assure you I am not Veronica Roth and I am only slightly evil.**

**So as I'm sure you have all guessed, we are officially entering AU territory now that I have spared Eric. Anything can happen! ;)**

**Love you guys!**

**OH and make sure to check out Bold Words by Lady Dane**

**It's amazing so far and should have more support than it currently has!**


	15. Chapter 14

**So I meant to have this up sooner, but work and life have been crazy. I mention this later, but ****200 reviews?!**** You people are spoiling me (but don't stop) ;)**

**pmollymay**** – I can accept cruel. You are absolutely correct; Tori wouldn't have spared Eric just because Gabby asked nicely.**

**CanYouFeelTheLoveTonight**** – Of course, and I am very excited to change the rest of the story.**

**Olivia-Ivy**** – Well hopefully not for too long. I honestly can't believe any of you actually thought I could let Eric die. **

**Lady Nyght**** - :D**

**Lady Dane**** – Yeah, that attitude of his might get him in trouble if he doesn't shapeup soon. **

**Megan – I know! The Insurgent movie is just going to kill me.**

**Chii – Your comment made my day, it still makes me smile every time I read it. **

**Laura013**** – That's the way I like it too. I used to be that way too, to be honest this is the only story I have ever kept going this long. I always plan out these long stories with one or two sequels, I get like 5 chapters up and then I get distracted with another idea. So this has been a really big accomplishment for me and it is thanks to all of you guys. **

**Silver-Assassin7**** – Oh I will!**

**Hestia11**** –Me too because that would have been an awful twist. **

**princesscielchan**** - First off, TWO HUNDRETH REVIEW! HOLY GUACAMOLY, THAT IS JUST ABSOLUTLY MIND BOGGLING. Glad I'm not sick/demented! ;) I never could have killed Eric, as I've said before the movie is going to kill me and the book nearly did when I read it the first time. **

**Unfortunately for us all, I don't own Eric…**

**Chapter 14**

**Gabby's POV**

I am sitting at the foot of Eric's bed, starting to unpack my things into a drawer in his currently unused dresser. It seems that in my absence my boyfriend abandoned all pretenses of putting clothing away, the floor becoming a sea of black fabric with a small path cleared to the bed.

I hear a soft knock on the door and quickly get up to answer it. I shut the bedroom door softly behind me, careful not to wake Eric who passed out as soon as I got him in bed. Today was a stressful day for him.

When I open the door, I find Alvin standing outside, a boyish grin on his face. I open my mouth to ask him what's going on, but before I can get a word out, he shoves a familiar gun into my hand.

"Up for breaking some security cameras?" He asks, adjusting the strap on the paintball gun he has slung over his shoulder.

It seems his smile is infectious because I know I am smiling like an idiot as I reply, "Always!" I quickly duck back into Eric's apartment, writing a quick note for my boyfriend and leaving it on his bedside table. I nod to the grumpy looking middle aged Dauntless woman guarding our door as I leave, she doesn't acknowledge me but I ignore it as Alvin and I run to join the others.

We end up walking through the corridors in the residential part of the compound, shooting security cameras as we find them. I am aiming for one near the door to Meghan's apartment when I feel something hit my shoulder, followed by a sharp stinging sensation.

I whirl around to find Justin standing a few feet away, a victorious smile plastered to his stupid face. We stand there for a moment, staring each other down before he turns and runs down the hall toward the pit and before I have time to process what I am doing, my feet carry my down the corridor after him. I burst into the pit, only vaguely aware that I have entered a war zone. There are kids running and screaming everywhere, and Dauntless of all ages are hiding behind tables and shouting taunts back and forth as paint flies in all directions

I catch my prey and manage to nail him in the leg as he ducks into the tattoo parlor. I turn and scan the room for a new target, my eyes find Tris and I feel the same smirk take over my face. I fire and manage to hit her in the arm as she runs after Marlene. I don't stick around to see if she noticed that I just shot her, I run and duck behind a table that someone has flipped over.

I find Alvin kneeling nearby, orange paint smeared in his hair. "God, I've missed this!" I yell over the popping sounds that fill the air.

**XXXXXXXXX**

When I finally make it back to the apartment, I am covered from head to toe in paint. I adjust the tray of food in my hands to open the door, again nodding to the guard, who is currently trying to get red paint out of her burgundy hair.

When I finally manage to get into the bedroom and set the tray down, I find a very confused Eric watching me from the bed. "Where do you go that you always end up coming here covered in paint?"

I laugh, walking over to his side of the bed and leaning down like I'm about to kiss him. At the last moment I get a glob of blue paint out of my hair and smear it down the side of his face. I am laughing even more now, until he pulls my down onto the bed next to him.

"Now your sheets are going to be covered in paint," I say with a chuckle as he pins me down.

"I have other sheets," He replies with a smirk, our lips meeting moments afterward. As much as I missed the city and the Dauntless, this is what I've missed the most from this last year.

After a moment I pull away, climbing off the bed and handing him the tray, "Eat, I need to take a shower."

I walk over to the dresser and search for clean clothes. I drop my hair tie and it bounces underneath the end of the bed. When I get down on my knees to look for it, I notice something else under the bed. I pull it out and find myself holding a small ring box. The box is dusty, like it has been under the bed for some time and the side is dented like someone slammed it into something.

"What's this?" I ask, Erudite curiosity winning out over my need to get clean. Eric looks up from his plate, his eyes quickly landing on the cube in my hand, a far off look filling his eyes for a few moments, "Eric?"

He seems to snap out of it then, his eyes finally coming up to meet mine as he murmurs, "I had been wondering what happened to that."

**I know, I know. I'm a jerk for leaving it there, but I have to switch the POV and I don't like doing that mid-chapter.**

**I have decided that I am changing the entire end of Allegient. Welllll, not necessarily THAT SCENE, because I haven't made up my mind yet... But the way it ends as far as the faction system is concerned.**

**OH, and special thanks to Lady Dane for being my part time beta and just being awesome in general. **

**Love you guys!**


	16. Chapter 15

**Hello again my lovely readers! I meant to have this up sooner, but my life is insane right now between work, moving, and general craziness. Hope you like the chapter. **

**Lady Dane**** – Thank you! And I am excited to get him around other people again too.**

**Olivia-Ivy**** – Breathe! Just breathe.**

**Lady Nyght**** – Hope you like it!**

**Aleeta6**** - :D**

**Guest – I am excited too, and I'm writing it. Glad you like the story. **

**hazu23**** – Hope you like where it goes.**

**doodlebugchick**** – I know, I knew chapter 50 was coming, because I am absolutely terrible at avoiding spoilers on the internet, and I was still really ticked off when it happened. I was sitting on the couch bawling for a long time. I have a plan for chapter 50, don't worry. **

**CanYouFeelTheLoveTonight**** – Lol, I'm glad you are excited.**

**CHII – Awww! Thank you! I am glad you like my stories and the last chapter!**

**Sadly, I do not own Eric or Divergent, and it's doubtful that I ever will.**

**Chapter 15**

**Eric's POV**

"What's this?" I hear Gabby ask from the foot of my bed where she is gathering her things to take a shower. I glance up from my hamburger, my eyes eventually landing on the dusty blue box in her hand. I am suddenly taken back to another conversation in this apartment, but under vastly different circumstances.

_I hear the knock at my door but choose to ignore it as I take another long drink from the whiskey bottle in my hand. The knock comes again, more insistent this time, before I hear my friend Marc's voice, "I know you're in there man."_

_I push myself up from the couch, the bottle still clutched in my left hand. I throw the door open, "What'd you want, Marc?"_

_The taller man pushes past me and flops down on the couch, propping his legs up onto the coffee table, "Dude, you look like death warmed over."_

_I laugh draining the rest of the bottle before throwing it over to the pile of garbage I have collected in the corner of my kitchen, "Well thanks man, if you don't have any other insults for me, you know where the door is." I drop onto the floor in front of the couch, searching the bottles on the floor around the coffee table for any that have something left in them. _

_"Eric, you've gotta snap out of this," Marc replies, not making a move to leave. _

_I snort in reply, "Easy for you to say, I don't think you've ever gone on a second date." _

_Marc shrugs in response, twirling his eyebrow ring absentmindedly, "Come on, it's Friday night, I'm sure I can find you a girl in the pit." _

_I try my best to melt a hole in my friend's skull with my mind, but it doesn't work, "Just leave me alone, Marc." _

_"Fine, have it your way, just let me know when you're done being all mopey and depressed." Marc is halfway to the door when he stops suddenly, reaching into his jacket pocket, "Oh, I almost forgot, Pop wanted me to bring this to you." He tosses the small ring box at me and it lands on the couch next to my head. "I told him you wouldn't want it now, but he said you had used your points on it so it was yours to decide what to do with."_

_I had almost forgotten. The piercing place is run by Marc's dad and he is also the guy you go to for custom jewelry. I had ordered a ring for Gabriella a while back, it was supposed to be a 'Congratulations, you didn't end up Factionless' gift for when she made it through initiation. _

_I nod and Marc leaves, shutting my door behind him. I can't believe she has been gone for two weeks now. I reach up and grab the ring box from the couch cushion, popping the top open with my thumb to look at the finished product. _

_It is exactly what I wanted, and I know she would have loved it. The band is black with a good sized sapphire in the middle. The gem is surrounded by tiny black crystals that go out on the sides just enough so that if you look at it in the right way, it looks like the Erudite eye. _

_I suddenly find myself filled with uncontrollable rage. I stand up and throw the box in the direction of my bedroom as hard as I can, not caring where it lands, only caring that it is out of my sight. _

"Eric?"

I shake my head and bring my gaze up to meet Gidget's, her blue eyes are suddenly filled with a mixture of concern and curiosity as she looks from the box back to me.

"I had been wondering what happened to that," I mumble as I push myself up from the bed and cross the room to reach her. I gingerly take the box from her hand, brushing some of the dust off before flipping the top up.

Her eyes widen in surprise for a moment before coming up to meet mine again, silently asking me to explain why I had a ring under my bed. I try to smile but I can tell that it comes off as a grimace, "I bought this when you were still in training…"

"Oh," She says, continuing to stare at me wide-eyed.

I smile at her finally, "It was just supposed to be a present, I had this whole sappy speech memorized about how I was proud of you and I loved you, how I would always be around to protect you… even though I know you are more than capable of defending yourself," I add quickly, causing her to smile back at me.

She wraps her arms around my neck, pulling me toward her, "And what about now, after everything, do you still feel the same way?"

I think about it for a long moment, "No," I reply softly, "I don't feel the same way as I did back then." She looks hurt and her grip on my neck falters, but I don't give her enough time to respond, "A year ago, I had no idea how much you actually meant to me. I've realized, between having to spend the last year in a world without you in it and thinking I was going to die earlier today, that I can't promise to always be there to protect you. One thing I do know is that I don't like my world when you're not in it." Her blue eyes fill with tears and I take a moment to wonder if I have ever made someone cry because they were happy before.

"I know what you mean," She replies softly, bringing her right hand to rest on my chest.

I take a deep breath, suddenly finding myself in a very serious mood, "Hypothetical question."

She smirks back at me, "Hypothetical answer."

I smile down at her. "Hypothetically, if a guy realized that he didn't want to ever risk losing the girl he loves, but they are in the middle of a ridiculous war and now obviously isn't a good time… Do you think she would agree to marry him when it was all said and done, if he asked her of course?"

"Yes," She says all too quickly, "I mean, hypothetically, of course."

I look back at the ring in the box, "And what if…"

She places her lips on mine, effectively stopping my question, before leaning a little farther away and looking around dramatically as if to see if someone is listening. Finally, she whispers, "He should just ask her."

I smirk back at her as I drop to one knee, trying to avoid flinching as the movement causes a sharp pain to shoot through me from my still healing wound. Suddenly very serious again, I take a breath before beginning, "Gabriella Lester, you've been my best friend since before either of us can remember." I take the ring out of the box and place the box on the bed. I grab both of her hands and hold them tightly. "You've stood by and defending me when any other woman would have turned and run. You have challenged and even defeated death itself to come save me. If this last year proves anything it's that I cannot survive without you without losing myself in the process. And I never want to do that again." I kiss her hands again and ask the question that I know she is expecting. "Gidget, when this is all over and life goes back to as normal as possible, will you do me the honor of being my wife?" She just stands there for a moment, staring into my eyes, "If you don't want to, that's fine. I mean this will be really awkward, but…"

She laughs softly before gingerly pulling me up to her, our lips meet and I am pretty sure I have my answer. When she pulls away, I must look confused because she chuckles before replying, "Of course, I'll marry you, you big idiot."

I slide it onto her finger, "Do you have a chain?" She nods, confusion reaching her features, "I don't think you should wear it on your hand yet, out in the complex anyway."

She thinks this over for a moment before nodding in agreement, "I see your point; we should wait to tell people." She leans in to kiss me again, but stops short, "Although, do you care if I tell Jess because if I keep another big secret from her she is going to kill me."

I chuckle softly, "I honestly think you can take her, but yes if you want to you can tell her."

She laughs in response before melting the rest of the way into my arms, the paint in her hair and on her clothes forgotten. For a moment there is no war, no guard outside my door because I'm the most hated man in Dauntless. It's just the two of us, alone for the first time in forever.

I kiss her with all the emotions that I can muster. All the pain, anger, hurt, confusion, happiness, love, and longing in one kiss. Her hands slide under the hem of my shirt, breaking the kiss long enough to deposit it on the pile with the rest of my clothes. We dissolve into each other completely, eager to never let the other go again.

Hours later, after she has already fallen asleep in my arms and I am content to never move again, that I hear the footsteps. At least a dozen people running. I quietly climb out of bed without waking her and pull my jeans back on. I crack the door open to see the guard gone and people running frantically.

I grab the first person to run past me. "What's going on?" I'm holding the arm a younger Dauntless boy, he is clearly upset.

"They jumped. We missed a camera. And now Marlene is dead." Angrily he yanks his arm out of my grasp and continues on his way. I go back inside and debate about whether or not to wake Gidget. She was already awake.

"What happened?" She asks as she pulls one of my clean shirts on.

I pinch the bridge of my nose and go toward her. I wrap her in my arms. "There was a jumper. There was an active camera. If I had to guess, she was under a simulation."

She pulls away from me and grabs a pair of pants from her drawer. "We have to get out there. We need to come up with a plan of defense." I agree with her and throw a shirt on.

Hand and hand we walk to the pit, which has descended into total chaos.

**So, what do you think? Predictions for the future?**

**Thank you again to Lady Dane for being my awesome part time beta; and thank you to everyone who reads and reviews my stories. I will update again asap! And don't forget to review because today is going to be a long day at work and I am already exhausted, I could use a pick me up!**

**Love you guys!**


	17. Chapter 16

**Hello again! So sorry it took so long, life has been crazy and I haven't had as much time to write. I'm going to keep this short because I have to get back to work, but I wanted to update today. Read the A/N at the bottom!**

**Lady Dane – Well I guess if I actually owned Eric, I might share him. But you definitely can't have all of him!**

**pmollymay**** – he did! And sorry it took me a while to update, life's been craaaazy!**

**Lady Nyght**** – We can only hope ;)**

**Olivia-Ivy**** – That would be awkward!**

**CanYouFeelTheLoveTonight**** – Glad you liked it!**

**Chii – Lol, glad you liked it!**

**hazu23**** – Glad it went better than expected!**

**adjh**** – I can't wait to write more!**

**Laura013**** - :D**

**rhiannonburr**** – Aww, thank you! That really means a lot**

**I don't own Divergent or Eric, If I did own Eric I don't think I would be writing fanfiction right now… ;)**

**Chapter 16**

**Gabby's POV**

After the whole Marlene fiasco, we had a meeting about security. It was decided that all loyal Dauntless members not implanted with a transmitter would be given a shift to help guard the chasm and any ways out of the complex or to the roof. We also did another sweep of the complex, making sure that we caught all of the cameras this time.

Today is Marlene's funeral. The complex is filled with drunken Dauntless, remembering a girl that most of them barely knew. I am standing near the back of the crowd, watching silently as Harrison gives a speech about how brave Marlene was, when I feel someone tap me on the shoulder.

I turn to find Tori standing directly behind me, her arms crossed and she looks exhausted. She motions for me to follow and I walk behind her as she limps to the tattoo parlor.

"What you said in your note, was it true?" She asks, not wasting any time getting to the point.

I nod in response, remembering the hurriedly written note I passed to the older woman during Eric's trial, "It is."

"Well? Out with it, you told me if I spared Eric you would tell me what you know about what happened to my brother," She replies with a growl.

"I might have lied a little bit," I reply rubbing the back of my neck with my right hand, "I can't tell you exactly what I know without putting you and George in more danger. I can tell you that he is alive, he misses you, and he talks about you all the time."

"If my brother is alive, why wouldn't he have contacted me? Or come back?" Tori asks, studying my skeptically.

"It isn't safe here, especially if you are divergent," I pause, wondering if I should continue, "Let's just say that the people who helped him get away safely frown upon coming back into the city."

She stares me down, "You did."

I glance out the door way, watching as Eric stands at the back of the crowd with Meghan, who happens to be his guard today, and Alvin. "I did," I reply softly.

Tori follows my gaze to my boyfriend and scoffs before heading to the door, "I don't think that you actually know anything."

"Your brother used to put your mom's shoes on and dance around the kitchen table for you when you were sad back in Erudite," I pause for a second, relishing in the obvious shock that sets in as Tori realizes that I have to be telling the truth.

After a moment she seems to recover and starts for the door again. She pauses in the door frame, "Knowing he's alive, even if I may still never see him again, it still hurts less than thinking he's just gone. Thank you."

I nod in agreement and watch as she melts into the crowd. I sit down in one of the chairs and close my eyes, relieved to have a moment alone with my thoughts, when I hear the soft click of someone walking across the stone floors.

I look up to find Jessica standing in the doorway, "I was wondering where you went."

I smile at her softly, "How's everyone holding up?"

She shrugs, coming to sit next to me in the chair, "About as well as you might expect."

We sit there in silence for a few moments, listening to the chatter outside the door as people begin to mill around now that the funeral has ended. I take a deep breath, "I saw Carl, when I was hiding out at Amity."

I feel Jessica tense beside me, after a moment she lets out a ragged breath, "Oh? How was he?"

"He was Carl," I reply simply, "What happened? How did he end up defecting back to Erudite?"

I watch Jessica out of the corner of my eye; I can tell she is trying not to cry, "I have no idea, after the attack on Abnegation we snapped out of the simulation. Half of the group we were with sided with Jeanine and half went to Candor, I tried to talk him out of it, but he insisted on going with them back to Erudite. I told him that if he knowingly sided with them, after they had controlled us against our will and forced us to murder innocent people… I told him I didn't think I could still be his girlfriend. He left anyway."

I turn to face her fully, pulling her into a hug, "I'm so sorry." We sit there for a long time. Jessica cries and I sit with her. Finally she jumps up and whips the tears away, insisting that she will be fine. I stand up and follow her into the pit in search of cake. I feel my engagement ring bouncing up and down as I run behind her. I had nearly forgotten about my news in the midst of all the craziness of the last twelve hours. After a moment I decide to wait to tell her my good news, now just isn't the right time.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

I wake to the sound of someone pounding on our apartment door. I glance to the clock, its three o'clock in the morning. I groan softly, about to go back to sleep and ignore my visitor when I jerk fully awake, realizing why someone is at my door at this hour. I have patrol duty with Zeke tonight.

I slowly peel Eric's arms off and climb out of bed. I pull on a pair of pants and tuck my gun into the waist band. I decide to pull one of Eric's sweatshirts over the tank top I wore to bed in an attempt to fend off the chilly evening air. I kiss Eric on the cheek as softly as I can so I won't wake him before padding over to the door and opening it softly.

Zeke is standing just outside the door, "Finally, I was afraid I was going to have to come in, I didn't want to see anything that might scar me for life though."

"Ha Ha, very funny," I reply softly as I pull my unruly curls up into a ponytail. When I am finished I motion for Zeke to lead the way so that we can relieve another set of guards.

"We have the Pit and the Chasm," Zeke informs me through a yawn as we walk.

I nod, "Sounds easy enough."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Easy, it turns out, was not the correct word to describe the job of guarding the Pit in the middle of the night. The correct term was boring, insufferably boring to be exact. When you're already half asleep, trying to stay awake, especially when there is nothing to do but pace around and the only sound is water rushing through the underground river, is an incredibly difficult task.

I am about to head back to where Zeke is watching the area near the chasm, when I see a flash of movement on the edge of my field of vision. At first I think the two black clad figures are being controlled, but then I recognize them. One is Tris and the other is a girl named Christina who I know does not have a transmitter.

I duck around the corner, curiosity getting the better of me. I am too far away to hear exactly what they are talking about, but I make out Caleb's name and Christina telling Tris not to do anything stupid.

As Tris turns and heads for the exit, I feel someone touch my shoulder. I turn to find Zeke watching the transaction behind me, our eyes meet and I know he is thinking the same thing that I am. Something doesn't feel right about this.

Once Tris is out of sight, we approach the younger girl. "What's going on?" I ask softly.

She jumps before whirling around to face Zeke and I, the tears running down from her eyes are enough to convince me that something is indeed very wrong. "Where is she going, Christina?" Zeke asks urgently.

"She… She said she was just going to see her brother for a few days," Christina manages to reply.

I nod, "But you don't think that's where she is going?"

"I think she blames herself, for Marlene," She replies softly, turning back to stare at the now empty corridor that Tris disappeared down.

Zeke pulls a gun out of the holster on his belt and hands it to the shaken girl, "Watch the chasm, we'll follow her and make sure that she gets there okay."

She accepts the gun and quickly whips the tears away, before nodding for us to go. Once we are out the door, we run in silence through the dimly lit city streets. After a while I see a figure walking a couple blocks ahead of us. I grab for Zeke's arm and point to the figure. We slow to a walk and keep our distance, sticking to the darker parts of the streets to avoid the small girl noticing us.

When she finally turns, I slow to a stop, leaning in to whisper in Zeke's ear, "This is the way to Erudite."

He growls softly, "Of course it is. She's going to turn herself in, isn't she?"

I nod in response, "It certainly appears that way."

Zeke thinks for a moment, "If we go after her now, we risk getting all three of us killed. We go back to Dauntless and get Four." I nod in agreement, and we turn to walk back home.

It all happens so quickly; we round a corner and before I have time to react we are face to face with a patrol of two dauntless traitors. In a flash I have my gun drawn and Zeke has a knife, I am sure he is regretting giving away his gun.

The two traitors also have their weapons drawn. There is a man who is short but muscular and a woman who is probably in her mid-twenties. I have my gun trained on the girl, her huge ear spike reflecting back the dim light from a nearby street lamp, when I feel someone tackle me from the side. I look up to see a large man dressed in black with a blue band around his arm on top of me. I groan as the much larger man tries to wrench the gun out of my hand.

I hear Zeke grunt and I turn my head to see him folded over in pain, holding his stomach. I watch as the other man pushes the barrel of his gun into the side of my friend's head. I manage to free my gun and the hand holding it just long enough to get a shot off. My aim is off and I only manage to hit the man in the arm, but it is enough to give Zeke a chance to get away.

"Go Zeke, get Eric and Four," I yell.

"I'm not leaving you," Zeke replies quickly, keeping an eye on the girl who still has her gun trained on him.

"Some help here, Maggie," The guy on top of me yells and the girl with the ear spike glances over at him questioningly. "Forget him," My attacker yells and the girl, Maggie, lowers her gun as she walks toward us.

"Go," I shout again. Zeke stands there for a moment, seeming conflicted before turning to run back toward Dauntless. I watch his retreating form until there is a sharp pain in the side of my head and everything goes black.

**Dun dun dun! Eric is not going to like this…**

**PLEASE READ: so I just wanted to let you all know that I am a moderator for a new forum created by Lady Dane, where authors of Divergent FF can gather to talk, brainstorm, and help each other with our stories and overcoming writers block. Even if you don't have a current story going on right now, check it out, maybe we can help you get your idea rolling. Or just to talk to other people who love the books. I really think it's an awesome idea and I hope to hear from you guys over there! So check it out people! Link's in my bio!  
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**Love you guys! I'll update soon!**


	18. Chapter 17

**Hello again my lovely readers! And welcome to all of my new followers, there have been a ton of you since the last chapter! I have been really busy with moving and crazy long shifts at work, but my schedule will be changing soon and I'll have more time to write.**

**Olivia-Ivy – I know, why does Gabby have to be such a good person? ;p**

**Green angel01 – I'm sorry the cliff hanger made you sad, but don't worry it will all be worth it eventually.**

**Lady Nyght – Her, and a few other people if he gets his way…**

**Pmollymay – I know exactly what you mean! I cried soooo hard when I read that he was still alive, and she came so close to getting to see him again!**

**CanYouFeelTheLoveTonight – Thank you! I'm glad you like the updates even though they have gotten a bit short of late.**

**Aleeta6 – Oh my gosh, every time I read that review I can't help but chuckle. Tori is one of the characters I have a really hard time with, I really liked her in some parts but then toward the end I just wanted to slap her.**

**Lady Dane – He is indeed going to be pissed. Poor guy…**

**CHIBI-CRAZY – Hello, my name is readwritereview20 and I am an addict. I first discovered that I had an addiction to writing cliffhangers about 3 years ago… Yeah, I have plans for correcting a couple of Veronica's mistakes. Which ones, I can't say…**

**Adjh – Me too! ;)**

**SweetPeaChikaDee – I can't take credit for the Merchandise Mart/Merciless Mart thing. That was all Veronica.**

**Lisserboo – I completely agree, as I have said before, any good bad guy has to have a fantastic backstory. I'm glad you like my writing and I hope to keep hearing from you!**

**I still don't own Eric. But, if anyone wants to get me a housewarming present, I am sure I could find room in my new apartment for him… ;)**

**Chapter 17**

**Eric's POV**

I walk through the front doors of Erudite headquarters, head held high and doing my best to disguise the amount of pain I am currently in. I push Four along by pressing my gun between his shoulder blades. He stumbles and I smirk as he looks back at me, regaining his balance ungracefully as he is without use of his hands to steady himself since they are bound behind his back.

He takes too long to stand, so I smack him across the side of the face with my gun, "Move it Stiff." I let the smile take over my face as he wipes at the blood on the side of his face with his shoulder.

I march him right up to the secretary's desk, clearing my throat loudly to get the man's attention. He looks up, eyes widening at the sight of me. I roll my eyes and square my shoulders, "Please tell Jeanine that I've brought her a present."

_2 Hours Earlier…_

_I wake to the sound of someone banging urgently on my apartment door. I roll over to look at my alarm clock; it's seven so Gidget should be getting back right about now. I push myself up off the mattress, allowing myself to flinch at the pain it causes since no one else is around. _

_The banging comes again and I growl angrily at the person on the other end. This doesn't seem to faze them, or they simply didn't hear, as they quickly start banging on the door again._

_I stand up and make my way to the door, when I open it, something drops into the pit of my stomach. Four is standing at my door, his fists clenched and he is staring at his feet. On his right is Zeke, looking like he is going to be sporting a full blown black eye in a couple hours. Finally, on his left Alvin is standing, arms crossed and tapping his foot impatiently. _

_"What's wrong?" I ask quickly. _

_"We should talk about this inside," Zeke whispers, sounding oddly haunted. _

_I stand my ground, "Tell me." _

_"Tris left, she went to Erudite to turn herself in to Jeanine," Four growls softly._

_"Okay," I reply crossing my arms over my chest, bracing for the impact of the answer to my next question. "You wouldn't be here if that's all it was, where is Gabby?" _

_"Listen man," Zeke starts hesitantly, "We went after Tris, we saw her sneak out, and we were about to turn around and come back," He pauses, shifting awkwardly from one foot to the other, "We got ambushed by a group of Dauntless traitors. I barely got away, I would be dead if she hadn't managed to get a shot off…" _

_"Where is my girlfriend, Pedrad?" I manage to demand with my last once of self-control, taking a single step toward him. _

_He stands his ground but can't meet my eyes, "I had an opening and she told me to get you." _

_Just like that, something inside me snaps, "And you just left her? You freaking coward." I launch myself at him, ignoring the pain and the fact that I will probably tear my stitches open. "You just left her there to die," I scream as my fist slams into his jaw. It only takes a moment before I feel someone grab my shoulders from behind to hold me back and Alvin has materialized in between us. I am fuming but I let them pull me into the room, away from the prying eyes of the Dauntless who are peaking out their doors. _

_"Listen man, I'm sorry," Zeke says lamely from his spot near the door. _

_"Sorry doesn't bring her back if something happens," I growl. _

_"Okay, you've made your point," Four intervenes quickly before sitting down, positioning himself between Zeke and I. "We need to focus on coming up with a plan. I would take this to Tori and Harrison, but I can't see them going along with what I plan to do." _

_"Which is?" Zeke asks, although we all know what Four means. He intends to go after Tris, just as I am going to go to Erudite to get Gabby. Four simply gives his friend a look and Zeke rubs his face, "I was afraid of that. Okay, when do we leave and how many guns do I need?" _

_"We aren't leaving, I'm going in alone," He replies quickly. _

_I scoff, "As if I am just going to stand by and watch you go when my fiancé is there too." The words have left my lips before I have properly thought what I am saying over. All three sets of eyes are on my in a moment. We stand there is silence for a moment before the idea occurs to me, "Jeanine has no I idea that I have decided to renew my loyalties to Dauntless, if I escaped and captured Four, she wouldn't question my loyalties." _

_Four studies me for a moment, I can see the wheels turning in his mind as he watches me. Finally he nods, "Okay, obviously this plan can't leave this room or it won't work." _

_"You can't be serious," Zeke speaks up, seeming to have forgotten that I am one very fragile nerve away from snapping his stupid neck. "I mean, no offense Eric, but the only thing keeping him under control was Gabby." _

_Four nods in agreement, "Yeah, and that's exactly why I think that we can agree to work together on this one. Jeanine has someone we each care about trapped and being experimented on or worse as we speak."_

_I nod in agreement, "So what's our plan of attack for getting you and the girls back out?" _

_He seems to think this over for a while, "Alvin, can you go to this address," Four says as he scribbles something on a piece of one of the documents littering my kitchen table. "Ask for Evelyn Johnson and tell her that I sent you." He grabs another piece of paper and scribbles a note on it, "Give her this note from me." _

_He turns back to Zeke, "You go to Tori after we are gone, tell her that I have a plan to use the Factionless and Loyal Dauntless to take down Erudite. I'll get more information to you as soon as possible."_

_He finally turns back to me, "Alright, let's go get the girls." _

_I grab his arm to stop him from getting up from the couch, "I agree that time is of the essence, but we have to make this believable." I stand up and he follows, seeming to get my meaning. We walk to the training room, through the still dark corridors. Zeke and Alvin follow silently. _

_We take our places on opposite sides of the ring. "It's been a long time, right Eaton?" I taunt. _

_"I'll have to hold back this time, I have to let you win so you can take me in," He replies coolly. _

_That is all it takes for me to launch myself at him._

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Eric, what a pleasant to surprise to find that you are still alive," Jeanine greets as she enters the room where I have been waiting with my captive. "And Tobias, nice of you to join us," She address my co-conspirator.

"Just let Tris go," Four growls from the chair I have him tied to.

Jeanine laughs, before turning to me, "Interesting how he thinks he is in a position to demand anything, isn't it?"

I laugh with as much malice as I can muster, "I figured you might still need that second test subject."

"Actually," Jeanine replies, sounding nearly joyful, "I have two already."

"Oh?" I ask, trying my best to mask the relief in my voice with feigned curiosity. It is a long way from being safe but at least she's alive.

"Remember that blue haired young woman you dated briefly, the one that passed away?" Jeanine asks, studying me intently to gauge my reaction.

I school my features, not needing to fake the tension in my shoulders at the memory of coming to this very office the morning after Gabby's supposed death. Finally I swallow hard and nod, "I do."

Seeming satisfied that I don't know what is coming, she continues, a downright malicious smile taking over her features, "It seems that she is very much alive as I currently have her in custody."

I feign shock as best I can, "What?" I ask softly before looking her dead in the eye, "That's impossible; Max told me he saw the body."

Jeanine quickly shakes her head, "Eric, now I am beginning to think you have spent too much time with those hooligans. Nothing is impossible, just quite improbable."

I nod my head, "I am sorry, I just can't believe she would just go, leave me like that, without saying goodbye. And then to just let me think she is dead all this time."

"Indeed," Jeanine agrees somewhat lazily, seeming to be bored now, "Well, I only needed two test subjects, the Prior girl has the strongest divergence that I have encountered yet, so I definitely intend to study her, but as for the other two, from everything I can deduce they are both utterly and completely normal, for Divergents that is. We might as well just kill one off now, don't you agree?"

She is studying me like I am her prey, this is a test. She wants to see if my loyalties are truly with her, or if with this news my allegiances have shifted back to Gabriella and Dauntless. I take a deep breath before replying coolly, "I can see the merit in keeping both of the others alive." She raises an eyebrow, simultaneously questioning me and inviting me to continue.

I turn to look at Four, who is watching me like I am a vicious caged animal that he has accidentally released on the world. He knows that if I had the choice between saving Gabby and our plan, he doesn't have a chance. I look down for a moment, thinking my answer over carefully. I have to approach this like an Erudite if I plan to convince Jeanine to spare them without revealing myself, which means pushing my personal feelings aside as I answer. "While I can see the use in having a male and a female test subject, this one's divergence seems to be less strong than some of the others we have encountered. Gabriella's divergence isn't quite as pronounced as Tris' but she could still yield valuable test results. If we have the resources available, I see no reason to limit ourselves to two subjects."

Jeanine thinks this over for a moment before nodding in agreement, "Very true, it is a pleasure to have you back with us Eric." She walks around to the back side of her desk before gesturing to Four, "Show Tobias to one of the holding cells and get some rest, we can start our study first thing tomorrow."

**So Eric is back working for Jeanine… Thoughts? Predictions for the future?**

**Don't forget to check out the Divergent Brainstorm forum. I love hearing from you guys over there and in the reviews.**


	19. Chapter 18

**Okay so can I just start by saying that I am so sorry for the abrupt hiatus, I swear it wasn't intentional. I have been very ill, my grandmother has been in and out of the hospital, and I moved out(WOOOHOOO). So it has been a crazy few weeks.**

**I have promised you guys before that I won't give up on this story, and I intend to keep that promise. Just don't give up on me either, okay guys? I have missed hearing from you guys, but I appreciate the continued support while I have been away.**

**green angel01**** – Thank you!**

**Olivia-Ivy**** – I know right, I'm sure she will have a few words for him when this is all over.**

**SweetPeaChikaDee**** – Lol, it's cool. Sorry I am trying to make them longer…**

**Lady Dane**** – You had better!**

**Lady Nyght**** – He's going to have to get her a leash ;)**

**adjh**** – Interesting thought**

**Releina Artemis Rockefeller**** – Hey, so you have no idea how much your comment meant to me. Like I said up there ^ life has been crazy but that doesn't mean that this story is every very far from my thoughts. So don't be afraid to yell at me when I am taking too long ;)**

**Guest (Ch 18 #1) - :D I did and I will**

**Guest (Ch 17) – Thank you**

**Guest (Ch 18 #2) – Interesting theory, I guess we'll have to see…**

**Unfortunately, I did not manage to obtain Eric or the rights to Divergent while I was away…**

**Chapter 18**

**Gabby's POV**

The first thing that I am aware of as I regain consciousness is the throbbing in the back of my head. I feel like my head is an egg someone has cracked violently against the edge of the counter. I try to sit up but a combination of dizziness and nausea sweep over me and I let myself fall back into place. I let out a moan and I am unsurprised when the pitiful sound is met with absolute silence.

I open one eye, the light in the room is blinding, but I push through the pain that it causes until my vision clears and I can look around. I am in a small white room, so white that it seems to intensify the light in the room. I roll onto my side and find myself on a narrow cot in the corner.

I am about to try to get up again when I hear the click of a key in the lock on the door. I look over and watch anxiously as the door slowly slides open. The first person to enter is Peter, he avoids my eyes and quickly moves to the corner to allow Jeanine Mathews to enter.

She smiles at me, the sort of smile that makes the person on the receiving end drown in an overwhelming feeling of dread. "Gabriella, so nice to see you finally awake. You where unconscious for so long I was concerned we might not be able to study you at all while you were awake." She turns to the still open door and nods toward the bed, "Well, you wanted to see her for yourself, did you not?"

When Eric walks in my heart both breaks and leaps for joy simultaneously. I am so happy to see him and know that I am not alone in this, I feel safer with him here. But at the same time, the friendly way that the Erudite leader is addressing him is definite a sign that he has come back to work for her. "So I did," He replies studying me like I am a math problem on a test that he can't quite figure out. "I'll admit that I was skeptical when you told me she was alive."

Why is he talking like my father? He doesn't sound like himself at all. "Eric?" I groan softly, hoping that he'll stop acting so weird and just come to hold me.

"Surprised to see me, Gabriella?" He asks, spitting out my full name like an insult. I am momentarily distracted as I ponder how unusual it is to hear my real name coming from him, but his next words bring me back to reality. "It's been what, a year?" He asks, a smirk filling his face but his eyes intently focused on mine.

Some of the unease in my stomach melts away as I realize what he is doing. He is playing Jeanine, making her think that he is with her. I blink a few times, before starting to force myself to sit up. I manage to get myself into a sitting position, but the nausea overtakes me and I find myself searching for a trashcan. My eyes land on a bucket in the corner and I manage to grab it just in time to empty the contents of my stomach.

I look up just in time to see Eric flinch toward me microscopically, but he quickly remembers that he can't run to me without blowing his cover.

"The young man who brought her in must have hit her over the head a bit harder than expected," She turns to Peter, "Go fetch Dr. Stephens, have him examine the subject." With that Jeanine and Eric disappear, Peter follows behind shortly thereafter in search of the doctor.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

I am curled up on the floor in the fetal position when the door opens again. I watch as two Dauntless-traitors I don't recognize enter the room and haul me to my feet. My head pounds and I swallow the bile that threatens to come up my throat.

"The doctor wants to see you." One hisses as they all but drag me down the hall. I try to keep up but my feet drag. I can't focus on anything too long before my head starts to pound again.

We walk for what seems like hours until we finally reach a set of doors. They automatically open and I can see the hospital room laid out on the other side as they drag me forward. I can feel the next round of nausea ready to come.

"What are you going to do to me?" I ask weakly.

"Oh don't be so mellow dramatic. You're here to have the doctor take a look at your head." I hear one of the guards say as they move me over to the gurney. Once I am on top they fasten straps around my head, torso, wrists, and legs. I am completely immobile. I think I am going to be sick again.

"Did you give her the anti-nausea medicine already?" A voice outside of my line of sight asks.

"No Doctor, we have not." I hear some scuffling. A face appears and with my head strapped down I am unable to stare at anything but the man standing before me.

I have never seen him before but he is young. "I would hurry with that anti-nausea medicine before I vomit and either get it all over your shoes or I choke to death on it." I say through clenched teeth. It really isn't a joke.

"Here you are Doctor." An arm reaches over my body from the other side of the doctor and hands him a syringe. I hope it's the nausea medicine. The doctor taps it with his finger before injecting me on my right arm. I don't even feel the sting compared to the pain in my head.

"Don't imagine I can get some pain killers too?" I ask sarcastically. I can already feel the medicine starting to work. I don't feel like vomiting every time I open my mouth.

They ignore me. "Let's wheel her into the machine." The gurney I am on starts to move. I watch the ceiling tiles go by as they walk. I can tell that we have left the hospital room, though I cannot tell if it is out the same way we came in.

Suddenly we are through another set of doors. This room is much darker than the other room. I can see part of a large machine out of the corner of my eye and I know what it is.

They are going to do an MRI on my brain. And possibly x-rays. This made me feel slightly better. They needed me healthy. Maybe I could possible think of a way out of this before they decided they needed a new lab rat.

"Despite the fact that you are restrained I am still going to ask you not to move during the examination. This machine will produce both an MRI and x-rays, if you hold still." The doctor sounds bored. Apparently I am not the only one that doesn't want to be here.

I don't see them leave the room but I do hear them. I know the moment I am alone because it's the same moment the machine comes to life and starts swirling around my head.

I decide to close my eyes. I've read somewhere that MRI machines can cause dizziness and nausea. Two things that I definitely do not want right now.

It's not long before the machine shuts off and I hear the doors open again. They don't say anything as they wheel me back to the hospital room.

"Carl draw some blood while I develop these photos." Carl? I try to think about the men that came into my room but their faces are fuzzy. My head is killing me.

"Yes Doctor." We are back into the first room now, the one that is much brighter than the rest. I squint my eyes to help them adjust to the brightness. I feel a hand on my arm before a slight pinch. I automatically wince.

"Still don't like needles I see Gabriella." The person drawing blood whispers and I focus on his face. I suddenly realize why that name sounded familiar as Carl comes into view. He doesn't meet my eyes.

"Help me." I whisper to him. He continues to draw blood but doesn't say another word to me.

"You can take her back to her cell now. Jeanine and I will have to go over the results before any testing can be done." That is the last thing I hear before they unstrap me and drag me back to the room that has now become my cell.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

I am curled up on the floor again when the door opens next. I watch as Carl enters the room with a tray containing a small cup of water and a stack of oddly colored crackers that I recognize as being made from flax seed. I groan as I sit up, partially from the pain, but mostly because I have not missed the food here.

When he is close enough he hands me the tray and leans in close, "How are doing, Gabriella?"

I raise an eyebrow at him and he smirks before tilting his head microscopically toward the camera. I roll my eyes in exasperation, "What happened to you, Carl?"

After a moment he laughs, "I have no idea what you mean, I'm still the same person that I have always been." He shifts a little, just enough to block the camera as he pulls a small packet of aspirin out of his pocket.

"You're my hero," I whisper as I snatch the packet from his hand. I study him for a moment before adding, "You know, you really hurt Jessica."

He looks down, shame filling his dark eyes, "I know, but some day I'm sure she will understand why I had to do all of this." He takes a deep breath before a thought seems to occur to him, "Speaking of failed relationships, I heard that you never told Eric that you were alive, that he found out when he got back last night. How is that possible? I followed you to Candor before coming back here, I thought that you were going to see him then."

I open my mouth to tell him the truth, I mean traitor or not he is one of my best friends and I still trust him. I find myself unable to get the words out though, I sit there for a moment moving my lips like a fish out of water, before quickly shutting my mouth again. It must be the camera making me nervous about telling him the truth, "Tris stabbed him right when I got there, then they had him on trial for his crimes, and then he was under house arrest until I was captured."

After a moment he shakes his head, "Enjoy this while it lasts, as soon as your head is healed Jeanine is going to start testing serums on you."

I flinch at the suggestion that I will be little more than the Erudite leader's guinea pig, "Oh joy and when is that going to be?"

"Well you certainly didn't hear this from me but you have a hairline fracture and your frontal lobe has massive swelling. It will at least be a couple of weeks before they can start any testing on you and get accurate results." He states matter-of-factly.

"Oh joy." I repeat.

He nods quickly before standing and walking to the door. He pauses with his hand on the knob and whispers, "Be brave, Gabby."

**Hope you liked the chapter!**

**Also, announcement: A friend of mine who is an aspiring comic book artist has agreed to do covers for my stories. I'm really excited!**

**So I am back now, I will try to get back to updating often and I hope to keep hearing feedback from you guys! Love you guys!**


	20. Chapter 19

**Hello again! So I know this chapter is super short, but they'll get longer again soon. I am finally back into writing mode! So no more long breaks I'm hoping.**

**green angel01**** - ;)**

**morbidly-funny**** – Glad to be back! And thank you**

**realityzabitch – I'm glad you liked that last chapter, I hope you like where I take the story from here.**

**hazu23**** – Thank you, glad you liked it**

**Lady Nyght**** – Hope you like it**

**I still don't own any of the rights to Divergent or Eric; no one ever said life was fair.**

**Chapter 19**

**Eric's POV**

"I swear I don…"

I interrupt the grumbled lie from Four by pushing his head back under the water in the bucket in front of him. His body thrashes convincingly as I watch his hand waiting for me to give me the signal to let him back up. I pull my hand away and his upper body flies up, gasping for air as he leans back in the chair.

"I… don't… know… where…" He pauses in his halting insistence to gasp for air for a couple more moments, "The safe houses are."

I lean against the table lazily, "Well, Eaton, you know what that means." I glance up at Peter for a moment. He is staring at me like he has me completely figured out.

I keep eye contact with him as I push Four's head back below the water. After a moment his stare leaves mine and goes to the door as someone pushes it open.

"Eric, Peter," Jeanine says nonchalantly as she enters the room, "I think it's time to call it a day." She glances at me and I quickly let Four up, and step around the table so that Jeanine can lower her voice to address only Peter and I. "Peter, take Mr. Eaton back to his cell, I have a theory that he will talk after what I have planned for tomorrow."

We nod in agreement and I follow Peter out as he drags Four behind him. After we have deposited the prisoner off at his cell, Peter grabs my arm to stop me from walking to my room.

"What was that?" He asks, crossing his arms over his chest in an attempt to look tuff.

I open my mouth to deny it, but in this situation I don't really think I have anything to worry about. Peter is a spineless little worm whose loyalties are up for the highest bidder. When Max offered him the guard position during the attack, he had no issue being awake while his fellow faction members were controlled and forced to murder the Abnegation.

I glance around, calmly checking if anyone is within earshot, "You and I have both learned during the past couple months that the moment you start underestimating your enemy is the moment you end up with a bullet in the shoulder or foot." I roll my eyes before adding, "Or a knife in the back. I don't plan on being on the wrong side this time."

With that I turn and walk back to the office that I have converted into a bedroom. When I open the door, Jeanine is perched on the edge of my desk, studying a file with a pleased smirk on her lips.

"Eric," She greets me without looking up, "I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that the doctor has cleared our Ms. Lester for testing, we begin tomorrow."

**So let me know what you think! I love hearing your ideas and theories too!**


	21. Chapter 20

**Hello again my lovely readers! I have been writing like crazy this week because I have been on a medical leave of absence from work. I have to go back tomorrow, but I have a lot written now so I should be able to keep up updating.**

**pmollymay**** – I agree it was short, and it wasn't so much wanting a cliff hanger ending as much as wanting to switch to Gabby's POV and needing a chapter break to do it. Hope you like this chapter.**

**Lady Nyght**** – I like writing something where they have to work together a bit, it's been fun.**

**Olivia-Ivy**** – I take that as a huge compliment, and I'm glad I'm back too.**

**morbidly-funny**** – He is, he'll do what he has to do to protect Gabby.**

**Unfortunately, I still don't own Divergent.**

**Chapter 20**

**Gabby's POV**

Being confined to a white-walled windowless room for nearly three weeks is not as bad as one might think. Once you get past the lack of human contact, the suffocating silence, and the lack of a proper restroom it's not that bad.

The light sensitivity and dizziness went away about a week into my imprisonment but it took a few days more for my head to finally quit throbbing. The nausea has never gone away but it's only been a couple weeks, and it's entirely possible that it's more related to anxiety than the head injury.

I am taking a nap, since the only thing I can do these days is sleep, when the door opens. In comes the man that I have come to recognize as Dr. Stephens, Jeanine, Eric, and Carl.

"Roll up your sleeve Gabriella," The doctor instructs, coming to kneel on the floor next to my cot.

I quickly jerk my arm away, "Why?"

He pulls a packet with a needle and two vials from his pocket, "I need another blood sample."

I take a deep breath and look away as he jabs the needle into a vein on the inside of my elbow. As soon as I feel the needle slide back out of my arm, I turn back and face the group gathered before me. "What's the special occasion?" I ask as the doctor packages up the samples.

"How right you are my dear, getting right to the point," Jeanine replies as a predatory smile finds her lips, "The doctor here has informed me that you are recovering quite well, in fact you are well enough to join your friend in the lab to help us learn more about your divergence and how best to control it."

I feel my face go white as the full weight of her comments sink in. I find my gaze landing on Eric; he stares at his shoes and refuses to make eye contact with me. The only sign that he is aware of my presence is the fact that his knuckles have gone white from the fist he is making.

"Get her up," Jeanine orders Carl.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

I am sitting on the edge of the trey that goes into the MRI machine, I was lying on the table and they were about to turn the machine on when a lab assistant came running in to get Jeanine and Eric. I look up at my sole remaining companion; Carl is leaning on the wall opposite me, checking his gun.

"Carl," I say quietly, he looks up and the slowly pushes off the wall to walk over to me. "So listen, you're my friend, right?" I ask softly as soon as he is next to me. He nods and I continue, "So, be honest with me, what exactly happens now?"

"Gabby, I..." He starts, but I cut him off.

"They experiment on me until Jeanine has a way to control everyone in her way and then I die, right?"

He shifts awkwardly, "Right."

"It's not too late, you know," I say softly.

He studies me for a moment, "Too late for what?"

"For you to get yourself on the right side of this battle before it's over."

"Gabby, I don't," He pauses to think over the rest of his reply, but the door opens before he has a chance to continue.

From the moment Jeanine waltzes back into the room, I am all too aware that something very bad is about to happen. She seems almost… excited; and it's terrifying.

I look to Eric, hoping his expression will shed some light on what is about to happen, or at least how apprehensive I should be, but he looks just as confused as I feel.

"Well, Gabriella, it seems your blood test yielded some very interesting results," She says with a thin smile as she pulls on a rubber glove.

"O-Oh, what do you mean?" I ask, trying my best not to sound as terrified as I feel.

"It seems that you had a rather high concentration of the human chorionic gonadotropin hormone in your blood," She pauses for a moment before continuing with a disappointed look, mistaking my shock for ignorance. "As you may not be aware, the hCG hormone is used to detect pregnancy."

She continues to chatter on, excitedly explaining how this is a rare opportunity to study the effects of divergence on the unborn fetus and how the trait was passed on from mother to child, and worst of all that this might present an opportunity to develop a way to stop the spread of the "genetic defect known as divergence".

As much as I tried to listen to the Erudite leader's plans, I find my attention drawn to the man behind her. Eric's grey eyes are twice their normal size, his mouth is hanging open a bit, and his face is as white as the walls of my cell.

I watch as the wheels in his head continue to turn, until finally his jaw snaps shut and he blinks a few times until his pupils return to normal. The look of absolute terror on his face is replaced by something I haven't seen in quite a while. Determination; he isn't going to let her hurt our baby.

**Dun dun dun. **

**I have been planning this for quite some time, and I hope you guys are as excited as I am. Congrats to the guest reviewer from chapter 18, you win the mind reader prize for guessing my plot twist. Love you guys, talk to you next time!**

**And don't forget to check out the Divergent Brainstorm forum if you haven't already, link's in my bio.**


	22. Chapter 21

**So first of all, I am aware of my lack of updates recently. Life got in the way again, but I have still been writing and planning. More family drama: my grandmother has been in the hospital again, my dad almost lost a finger, and I got an infection in my throat and couldn't talk for 2 weeks. I got caught up in binge watching like 5 Sci-Fi tv shows… And work has been… BUT, the point is that I am back now. **

**MonsterSlut – So I got this at work, and I was having a truly awful day, and it made me smile. So thank you, and thank you for the review.**

**CRAZY-ON-CRACK - Thank you!**

**CassiaStar – I am pleased that my work was bing worthy ;) And don't worry, I have a lot more planned for this series and no intention of stopping until I have finished it.**

**Guest – I tried to put some clues in, but I'm glad I managed to surprise some of you ;) Thank you for the support and kind words.**

**DontTellMeImWrongBitch – Aww, thank you, that really means a lot to me!**

**Guest (2) – I hope you like what I do with the story from here!**

**Thoreau – You have no idea how much your review made me smile, and is still now as I am re-reading it to respond. Lol, I tried to put in some clues over the past couple of chapters that there was going to be a mini Eric/Gabby (Which? You'll have to wait) Sorry it took me a bit to post again, but I am back now! Thank you again!**

**pmollymay – Dun dun dun, all good questions ;)**

**Strike OOO – Sorry it took so long, I'm back now**

**Lady Nyght – Yeah, I can't imagine he will want her anywhere near Jeanine now that he knows**

**Olivia-Ivy – I figured that their relationship has never been stereotypical so why should this ;)**

**morbidly-funny - lol, I hope that's a good thing**

**Yepitzjustx - Glad you liked it, I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

**SweetPeaChikaDee – When there are millions of fanfictions out there it's hard to find a 100% unique idea, all you can do is make it your own.**

**I did not manage to acquire Eric or the rights to Divergent while I was away.**

**Chapter 21**

**Eric's POV**

I was hesitant to leave when Jeanine told me to come along to see what Dr. Stephens needed to talk to her about. It took every ounce of self-control not to refuse to leave Gabby's side while she was out of her cell, but since no testing would while Jeanine was out of the room and Carl will be with her, I followed Jeanine to the doctor's office.

I am left in the hall, I stand slumped against the wall, trying to catch bits of the muffled conversation. The moment Jeanine opens the door, I feel the hair on the back of my neck stand up and a chill runs down my spine.

"This must be strange for you," Jeanine begins as we walk, "Seeing Gabriella again after all this time. I remember that you were quite shattered when you believed she was dead, and now to find out that she has been alive this whole time, it must have been uncomfortable for you." It sounds like a friendly, casual observation but I know that it is a test.

I take a deep breath as we reach the door, "It was at first, but apparently I was wrong about how she felt about me. I have no interest in wasting my time on someone who does not share my feelings and ideals."

Jeanine seems satisfied with this, and opens the door to the testing room with something that is as near to excitement as I have ever seen from her.

Jeanine grabs a rubber glove and focuses on her hands as she speaks, "Well, Gabriella, it seems your blood test yielded some very interesting results."

"O-Oh, what do you mean?" Gidget stammers, clearly as rattled by Jeanine's mood as I am.

"It seems that you had a rather high concentration of the human chorionic gonadotropin hormone in your blood. As you may not be aware, the hCG hormone is used to detect pregnancy."

It takes Jeanine's reply a moment to sink in. Pregnancy; Gidget is pregnant. Pregnant with a baby, a human life. Oh god, she is pregnant with my baby. I remember what I was like as a child; I remember what she was like as a kid, I'm not sure if the world can handle a baby that is the combination of those two forces.

I have literally been in a room of my worst fears, and this is the most terrifying experience of my entire life. I am so consumed by internal panic that I am not listening to anything that Jeanine is saying, until the phrase "We can begin testing on the baby in about two weeks," reaches my ears.

The fear and panic melts away as something I can only describe as furry fills me. I am not going to let her hurt Gabby or the baby. I was planning on getting her out of here before, but now I know that it can't wait.

**So that was short, I know. But, I might be able to make that up to you a little….**


	23. Chapter 22

**Just in case you missed it, I posted the last chapter today as well.**

**I still don't own the Divergent world, just a copy of the movie and the books.**

**Chapter 22**

**Gabby's POV**

The shrill wail rips me from my sleep. I feel the panic building in by chest as I fling myself off of the cot in the corner of my cell and feel my way along the wall to the door. I have no Idea what the noise is, but something is drawing me to it like the pull of a magnet.

When my hand finds the handle for my cell door I am surprised to find it unlocked. A voice in the back of my head warns that this is almost certainly a trap, but the magnetic pull toward the crying is stronger than my apprehension. I creep through the halls of what was once my home, sticking to the shadows and peaking around the corners as I go, but the corridors are all uncharacteristically empty.

The nagging feeling returns as I reach the door to the laboratory that Jeanine has been running tests on me in, but another sharp cry propels me through the door. Once inside I freeze, an involuntary shudder of fear running up my spine.

The room is dark, almost completely unlit with the exception of a single light in the middle of the ceiling. The sole illuminator shines down on a small metal and plastic basinet, like the sort you would see in a hospital. The baby inside is hooked up to dozens of electrodes, wires, and tubes connected to a handful of machines that surrounds the basinet in a semi-circle.

I regain the ability to move, crossing the room in a few easy strides to reach the small child. Standing directly over the basinet I finally have an unobscured view of the baby, and what I see when I look down makes my heart stop.

The baby is small and looks very frail, in contrast with the black booties on its feet identifying it as a baby Dauntless. I reach down and touch its small hand, as soon as my warmth meets the child's cold skin its eyes flash open. They are a beautiful shade of grey and, despite their shinning innocence, are clearly Eric's. The tufts of brown curls on top of the baby's head are clearly my contribution to the small creature before me, and it suddenly strikes me that I have never fallen in love this quickly before.

One of the machines beeps and flashes before I feel a small jolt of electricity run through the baby and into my hand. I screech, yanking my hand back as the baby lets out a blood curdling and completely pitiful wail. "Interesting," I hear a voice in the distance mutter.

"Oh god," I gasp as I reach down and start to unstick the electrodes on the baby's head.

"Step away from the subject," A deep voice orders from behind me.

I glance over my shoulder to see a Dauntless traitor aiming a gun at my head. I shake my head no, and the man lunges for me. I am on the floor before I have a chance to react, pinned underneath the man's weight. He has his gun pressed to my temple and his other hand has my hands pinned above my head. I manage to free one of my legs and bring it up between his legs, giving me a chance to get out from under him. My assault also causes him to lose his hold on the gun; I grab it and keep it leveled at him as I backup to the baby. I keep the gun trained on him as I remove the wires and disconnect the IV in the baby's foot from the tubes it is connected to; I can deal with the IV itself when we are away from this horrible place.

I hold the baby in my arms as tightly as I can, and then I run. I have no idea where I'm going, or what I'll do once I get away from here, but I know that I have to run. I am at the bottom of the stair case and the door to the outside world is just feet away.

I look down at the baby in my arms and I am suddenly struck by just how easy this was. I feel a solitary tear roll down my cheek and a short hysterical laugh rips from my throat as I ease myself down to my knees; I set the baby on the linoleum floor and kiss it softly on the forehead.

"I really wish you were real," I manage to whisper as the tears come in earnest.

Everything around me fades as I wake from the simulation, out of habit I glance down at my stomach. I am showing now, but just enough that it looks like I have gained a couple pounds. The prisoner diet isn't exactly conducive to having another life growing inside of you.

That same feeling from the simulation returns when my hand comes to rest on my stomach, filling every fiber of my being with the urge to run and never look back. I can't let them hurt my baby.

**So? Let me know what you thought, I'll post again soon! Thank you guys again for the continued support and all of the new people who have just started reading and following my stories. Love you guys!**


	24. Chapter 23

**Hello again my lovely readers! Much new to report, just super excited for what I have planned for the rest of this story. I also started another fanfic that will be mostly Eric centric if anyone is interested, I will start posting it when I have more written, and as it stands I am only two chapters in.**

**Olivia-Ivy**** – Sorry, I just came up with that idea a few days ago, and I can never resist writing something sad. I figure that Jeanine is making sure she gets what she needs, but just the bare minimum.**

**Strike OOO**** – I'm glad you like it! And yeah I cried while I was writing that part, and while I was editing that part, but that was mostly my Distance/MTG playlist's fault. And I won't leave you hanging if I can help it ;)**

**pmollymay**** – Yeah, He is not a fan of Jeanine's anymore…**

**Thoreau**** – I'm glad that you liked the last 2 chapters and I hope you like the next few as well. I will try not to make you cry, well at least not because I haven't posted. It makes me proud of myself when I can cause people to feel the bundle of conflicting emotions that I experience when I write when they are reading my stories, so in a weird way, your review kind of made my day. As Robert Frost said, "No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader."**

**morbidly-funny**** – I hope you continue to enjoy the story.**

**I still don't own Divergent.**

**Chapter 23**

**Eric's POV**

It has been one month since I found out that I am going to be a father. Every day that passes makes me feel more and more like I have failed Gabby and our child. Every simulation and test that they subject them too is like a knife slicing through me, and watching her cry when the simulations involve the baby is nearly impossible without blowing my cover. As much as I hate Jeanine, I know that I have to continue to pretend that she holds my allegiance if I want to have any chance of saving my family.

If she is aware of my intentions or just unwilling to risk her new prized test subject I cannot be sure, but Jeanine has had so much extra security around Gabby that at times even meaningful glances are too risky.

A soft knock on my office door brings me from my thoughts and I quickly glance at the clock to find that it is nearly midnight. The complex full of intellectuals is nearly completely silent by nine on most nights, 'early to bed and early to rise' as my dad always said.

I stand and cross the small, cramped room to answer the door. When I open the door to find a furious Andrew I instinctively take a step back. He doesn't wait to be invited in, but pushes past me and stands in front of my desk, his hands balled into fists at his sides.

"No please, come in," I instruct sarcastically as I shut the door, "How can I help you?"

"You can start," He growls, "By telling me what in that small little brain of yours made you think it was okay to let them torture my sister after you got her pregnant."

I try not to let the shock show on my features, but I have never been particularly good at controlling my emotions. The one bright side to this whole debacle has been that Jeanine's paranoia has made her keep the knowledge of the baby's existence confined to a small group of people.

"What do you mean?" I finally reply when I have recovered.

"Don't give me that crap, Eric," He replies, literally shaking with anger. "Marco was given a specimen to run genetic testing on against all the samples in the database to determine paternity. He got called for an emergency in one of the other labs; while he was gone I got curious and looked at the file."

I feel my face lose all of its color, "Paternity?" If Jeanine knows that the baby is mine, she knows that I have been lying all this time. This thought terrifies me, but not nearly half as much as the next one, "She's only two months along, isn't it too early?"

Andrew seems to lose a bit of his anger, at least for the moment, "Not anymore. " He sighs and drops into my desk chair, "Jeanine is working on an experimental procedure. Its main purpose would be to identify the genetic marks associated with divergence before a child is even born, but it could also theoretically be used for paternity testing and identifying genetic disorders, which is how it will be marketed to the general public. I've heard that the process is extremely painful, the early test subjects almost all miscarried from the stress it put on the fetus."

I stand there, grinding my teeth for a moment before turning and punching the wall. I turn back to my former friend and study him for a moment, "So Jeanine has the results already?"

He shakes his head, "No, I corrupted the sample and deleted the results." He pauses before smirking up at me like the Andrew I remember, "I spilled a beaker of acid on his work station."

I laugh and for a moment that last couple of years are gone and we are back to how we used to be. I take another deep breath, "I love your sister, and I have changed, I swear."

He studies me for a moment, "I know."

"How long before they can get another sample?" I ask simply, running a hand through my hair.

"A week, at most," He replies sadly.

I nod to confirm that I understand what he is telling me, I have to get her away from here in less than a week or we are all as good as dead.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

I don't have to wait long for a chance to make my move. Two days later, I am walking to Jeanine's office when I run into Peter.

"Eric, can I talk to you, man?" He asks, motioning for me to come around the corner with him.

"What?" I ask crossing my arms over my chest.

"They moved up Tris's execution," He replies quickly, looking around nervously to make sure we are not being observed.

"And?"

"And? They are going to kill her, I know you aren't actually on Jeanine's side. You go way too easy on Four, I mean I have seen you when you are not in control, and have definitely been holding back."

"Why do you care if she dies?" I ask, focusing my attention on seeming nonchalant.

"I don't like owing people," He takes a deep breath before spitting out the next sentence like it is painful for him to say, "She saved my life when we were at Amity and I don't want to owe anything to Tris of all people."

"Okay, so stop the execution, what do I care if you get yourself killed helping the stiff," I reply with a shrug and start to turn to walk away.

"If Tris dies they'll be focusing all of their testing on Gabby." This sentence stops me dead in my tracks, "I'm not blind, I see the way you look at her."

I turn back to face him, hating to admit that he got me, and with everyone's attention focused on the execution this will be my best chance to get Gabby out. "Fine, how do you suggest that we waltz out of here with three prisoners without being turned into Swiss cheese?"

"I have an idea, but I'll need your help."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

When the door opens, Peter ushers the small figure into the sea of blue clad Erudite scientists. Jeanine watches intently, drinking in her victory over the small girl responsible for the scratches that her makeup is just barely covering.

Tris sits on the edge of the table and a set of Dauntless traitors force her to lie down on the smooth metal surface. I step forward, taking the syringe of purple liquid from Jeanine as Peter finishes applying the electrodes that will monitor her heart until it stops beating.

I pull her hair out of the way so that I have a clear view of the side of her neck. As much as I hate to admit it, I feel for Four right now. If I was locked in a room and knew that Gidget was being dragged to her death, I would be dying inside.

I shake the thought off, jabbing the needle into the side of her neck and depressing the plunger. Tris gives me a panicked but still malicious look.

"You finally got what you wanted, Eric," She spits out.

"The serum will go into effect in one minute," I reply calmly, ignoring her accusation. "Be brave Tris."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

As soon as Peter has left with the body I turn to Jeanine, "I'm going to go check on Eaton, let him know that his favorite student won't be back in class."

She chuckles, clearly distracted and quickly excuses me. As soon as I open the door, the crowd parts to let me through. I used to love that feeling, watching people scurry out of my way, but now it doesn't hold the same thrill.

As soon as I am alone I pick up the pace, not enough for it to be conspicuous if anyone is watching on the security cameras, but enough to get me to the cell where Four is being kept. The door is wide open and they are gone already. I breath a slight sigh of relief, before mumbling a curse under my breath and pulling my gun out of my waist band for the benefit of the cameras. I take off down the hall in the direction of Gabby's cell. I round the corner and find the four black clad figures standing outside of the door to her cell. Well except for Tris who is in Four's arms, still recovering from the drugs.

"Freeze!" I yell, firing off a warning shot that is not aimed at anyone in particular. Peter pulls out a gun and fires back, missing me by a wide enough margin that there is no chance that he will hit me but enough to make it look realistic on the cameras.

He grabs Gabby's arm and pulls her down the hall. I run after them, making sure to keep just enough distance that the chase will last until we are outside. By the time the chase has reached the side door to the main Erudite building other Dauntless traitors have caught up with us. I send them off in different direction, leaving the street where I know they will be hiding for myself.

I climb through the busted out first floor window of one of the many abandoned buildings in the city, making my way to the space under the stairs where the group is waiting.

"Eric!" Gabby yelps, quickly jumping up and running into my arms. Her lips are on mine without a moment's hesitation and it isn't until I hear Four clear his throat that I remember that we aren't alone.

I pull back and turn to the former abnegation man, "Did you get all the information you'll need to lead the attack?"

"See! I called both of those!" Peter gloats. "You working with him and having a thing for her," He adds pointing to Four and Gabby in turn.

"Yes," Four answers my question, choosing to ignore Peter.

I nod before turning back to Gabby, "I have to get back, I'll see you in a few days."

"What?" She growls angrily, "No, you're coming with us, why would you need to get back?"

I pull her away from the others enough that we can talk, "Babe, you know that I want nothing more than to be with you and keep you safe. But if I'm going to make sure that you and the baby are safe from Jeanine, I have to stay here until we take her down."

She studies me for a moment before shaking her head, "I hate you sometimes."

I smirk back down at her before leaning in to whisper in her ear, "I love you too, Gidg."

"I love you," She mouths back before turning to follow Tris and the others out the door.

I grab Four's arm and to stop him from following, "She doesn't come when you attack Erudite, I don't care if you have to tie her up."

He nods in agreement, "I'll make sure she's safe."

"No, you'll do more than that. I am trying my hardest to be a better person, but I swear to god if anything happens to them I will kill you with my bear hands."

Four is unfazed by the threat but hones in on one word, "Them?"

"Her, Gabby," I correct quickly.

He studies me for a moment before chuckling and turning to walk away. I watch as the group sneaks through the street until they are out of sight. If all goes well things should be back to normal in a few days. Or at least as close to normal as possible.

**Hope you liked it! Review if you have a moment, I love hearing from you guys and hearing your theories and ideas. Love you all!**


	25. Chapter 24

**Hello again my lovely readers, both those of you who have been here since the beginning and those of you who just started reading. So nothing new with me, hope you all are well. I know, again super short, but I promise they will get longer again soon, I have these next few pre written and they are a bit shortish…**

******Olivia-Ivy**** – Thank you lol, I hate to admit it, but I really have fun writing Jeanine sometimes…**

**Strike OOO**** – aww, thank you!**

**SallyEllen**** – Thank you, I'm glad to hear you like it! And funny you should bring that up, you might just get more than a clue soon.**

**CassiaStar**** – What gives you that impression? I'm glad to hear that you ship Gidgic, I do too ;)**

**pmollymay**** – He did, I actually have had most of the attack written and planned since before Gabby got captured so… I'm a bit excited.**

**Guest – You made me smile, so thank you!**

**Thoreau**** – Yeah, I love Robert Frost. And your comments! I hope you like what I have planned.**

**LuRCosta**** – I'm glad you like it so far, and I will update soon.**

**Guest – I will!**

**GirlOnFire13579**** – I got your review at work today and I couldn't stop smiling for like an hour. I'm glad you like the story. I am planning for the chapters to get longer again soon, but I have the next few written and I'll warn you they are still a bit short. **

**I still don't own Divergent, obviously because if I did Eric would not have died.**

**Chapter 22**

**Gabby's POV**

As soon as we get to the Abnegation sector of town, Four ushers Tris and Peter toward his old house where his mother is apparently waiting for them. I decline the offer to stay with them and set off in search of my friends.

The streets are full of people; a mix of factionless, Abnegation, and loyal Dauntless. I finally catch sight of a familiar face and take off running down the street, "Jessica!"

She turns at the sound of my voice and runs to meet me, "Gabby, I'm never letting you out of my sight again."

I laugh as we start to walk back to the fire where I see Meghan, Jeff, and Justin waiting for us. As soon as we sit down I turn to my only two female friends, "I have so much to tell you."

Meghan immediately picks up on my meaning and turns to her brother, "Just, take Jeff and go get us food. Now!" Justin rolls his eyes but gets up and leaves us alone none the less. As soon as the guys are out of earshot she turns to me, "Spill."

I pull the chain that runs around my neck out, holding it out so that the ring on the end catches the light of the fire. This is followed by a collective gasp and Jessica giving me whiplash as she yanks the ring over so she can get a better view.

"No way!" Meghan squeals, "When?"

"The night we got back to Dauntless from Candor," I reply, slightly flinching away from the anger I am expecting from Jessica.

I am not expecting her to jump on top of me, so when she does it catches me off guard. "Why do you never tell me anything?"

"Watch the stomach, watch the stomach!" I yell without thinking.

Jessica's mouth drops open, "Are you pre…." I quickly slap a hand over her mouth and let out a nervous chuckle.

"You know, I have had a really long day and I think that it's time for me to go to sleep now," I quickly reply, not sticking around to get the food that the boys have just returned with.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"No, absolutely not!" Four replies as we walk down the street in front of the row of identical houses. "I am not getting strangled if something happens to you."

"Too bad, I'm coming."

He stops and pinches the bridge of his nose, "Do you really think that is such a good idea? In your…" He pauses, studying his feet awkwardly before finishing, "Condition."

I laugh, "It'll be fine and I am not just going to sit here and worry."

Four takes a deep breath, "I'm not going to be able to talk you out of this, am I?"

"Nope."

"Fine, you can come but stay close and don't do anything stupid."

"Of course," I reply with an innocent smile that even I don't believe.

**Super short, I know. I am planning to update again tomorrow. Let me know what your theories about the attack are.**


	26. Chapter 25

**Hello again lovelies! So sorry that it took me a couple of days, I meant to have this up on Friday. So thank you to my awesome beta Lady Dane and thank you to all of you for the support and for taking the time to read my stuff. **

**CRAZY-ON-CRACK**** – Thank you, and I will**

**Thoreau**** – Thank you once again, I am glad someone thinks that ;)**

**Strike OOO**** – interesting thought… **

**Olivia-Ivy**** – Interesting theory, you might just be on to something ;)**

**pmollymay**** – You never know what's going to happen in a building full of people with guns… **

**Lady Dane**** – Poor Eric, they never do listen to him**

**I still don't own Eric, le sigh.**

**Chapter 25**

**Eric's POV**

I am sitting on the edge of the roof, watching the city with an untouched bottle of whisky held loosely in one hand. I snuck up here to watch for Four's signal, letting me know that the attack is beginning, and I brought the bottle along so that I would have a believable reason for being on the roof.

"Eric?"

I turn at the sound of my name to find Carl standing a few feet away, his busted lip and the gash on his cheek seeming to stand out even more against his pale skin in the dim moonlight. Jeanine had assigned him to watch Gabby during the execution; she did not take the loss of her prized test subject well.

"Yeah?" I mumble as I raise the bottle to my lips like I am about to take another drink.

"Nothing, I just came up here to think, I wasn't expecting anyone else to be up here," He replies with a shrug.

I nod in reply and hand him the bottle. We sit in silence for a moment before I find myself compelled to do what Gabby would want me to, "It isn't too late to change, believe me I would know."

He studies me for a moment before a flash of an emotion I can't identify flashes across his face, being replaced by a blank stare almost as quickly as it came. I am about to continue, when I hear the sound of gun fire in the distance.

I stand to look out over the city but Carl stays seated behind me. After a moment he chuckles, "You didn't escape Dauntless to come back here after the attack on Candor, did you? You came back for her."

I nod and take a deep breath before replying, "What I said before, it was true, it isn't too late to change but tonight might be your last chance."

I hear him get to his feet behind me, "You're right, I need to be true to who I am tonight." I am about to reply when I feel a sharp pain in the back of my head and everything goes dark.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Gabby's POV**

I was skeptical of how quickly Four had caved when I told him I was coming. So when he asked Meghan, who had been one of the unfortunate Dauntless implanted with a transmitter during the attack on Candor, and I to go to one of the old factionless safe houses before the attack to gather some additional blueprints his mother had of Erudite, I was more than a bit suspicious.

As we began to sift through the piles of junk, on what I suspected to be nothing more than a wild goose hunt, I heard the sound of footsteps. Meghan and I quickly duck behind a short dividing wall to listen. As they approach I peek around the corner to see who it is. There are three factionless men, marked by the blue dye that identifies someone as being injected with the transmitter.

"… But I agree, it's almost funny. After all this time, the factions finally decide that they need us, and it's only because they need numbers to settle their stupid conflicts," One of the men says, he presses his lips together firmly and shakes his head in disgust.

"Evelyn has that plan of hers, but I doubt the factions will go away that easily," One of the others puts in.

The youngest has a scar stretching across the side of his face, "As long as they take down people like Jeanine and that former Dauntless leader Eric, this city will be a better place even if the factions still exist."

I pull Meghan with me and we sneak out the back, "I am done playing along, I have to go with them to Erudite."

"Gabby, you know…" Meghan begins, using the older sister tone I have heard her employ when she lectures Justin.

"I know that something isn't right about Evelyn, and I know that not everyone trusts Eric or believes that he has actually changed." I pause for a moment, "If I stay here and something happens to him, I could never forgive myself."

"But think about him, you have no idea how bad he spiraled last time something happened to you," She protests.

"Well then, I'll just have to make sure nothing bad happens," I reply with a smile.

Meghan finally rolls her eyes, "You better, because if anything happens to you or the bump, I'm going to be really mad."

I hug her as tightly as I can, "Take care of yourself, I'll see you soon."

I turn and run through the empty streets in the direction that I know Four and the rest of his group will be in. When I reach the group, I make my way to Four, crouching down next to him as he waits for a signal from a group up ahead.

"I think you forgot to tell me what the plan was," I say with mock hurt.

He takes a deep, annoyed breath before handing me his spare gun, "It must have slipped my mind." He studies me for a moment before smirking, "I just have to get you to the lobby alive and then you can be his problem."

"Works for me."

When we get to the entrance of Erudite headquarters, I immediately turn to run for the closest stair well, but I feel someone grab my arm. I turn to see Four looking down at me with that same annoyed instructor face from initiation.

"We had a deal, you promised not to do anything stupid," He says gruffly.

I roll my eyes, "Eric was supposed to meet us here, if he isn't, something is wrong."

Four shifts uncomfortably and I know that this feeling is something he can relate to. Before he can reply Jess steps up and places a hand on is elbow, "I'll go with her."

"We can come too," Jeff adds from over her shoulder, speaking for himself and Justin, "I imagine that they will want to go look for their families when we find Eric, they could use some help."

Finally, Four gives in and releases my arm. I nod my appreciation and the four of us run for the stair well. When we reach the door to the third floor, I can hear the sound of gunfire and I stop dead in my tracks.

"My brother's lab is on this floor," I say turning to Jeff and Justin.

They get my meaning without any further instruction and Jeff nods, "Be careful."

"Don't worry about us," Jessica says with a smile, "Just try not to get yourselves killed." Jeff smiles back at her, and there is a brief flicker of something in his eyes that makes me wonder just what I have missed these last two months.

Once they are out of sight we continue up toward the roof where Eric was supposed to be watching. "Interesting," I mumble under my breath as we continue to climb.

"What?" Jessica asks just a bit too quickly.

I shrug as best as I can while running, "Nothing, I was just so preoccupied with me love life and being a lab rat, I missed you starting to move on."

She snorts, "Me and Jeff? What makes you think that?"

"You are a horrible liar," I say with a laugh as we round the corner that leads to the tenth floor. I am about to add to this, when the sound of footsteps above us brings us both to a grinding halt.

I draw my gun and level it with the highest step in my line of sight as Jessica ducks out of sight, gun drawn and ready to come out when the time is right. I pause when the black jeans and shoes of the approaching figure come into view, part of me desperately hoping that it is Eric so that I can get rid of this nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach that something very bad is about to happen.

When I catch a glimps of the man's face I let out a huge sigh of relief, "Carl."

Jess relaxes and comes to stand next to me as her ex comes to a stop on the landing a few feet away from us.

"Hello Jessica," He says evenly, the blank look on his face never wavering, but I can imagine this is really awkward for both of them.

"Carl," I say finally, drawing his attention back to me, "Have you seen Eric."

"I have," He replies with a chuckle. "And I must say, our little talk was quite enlightening," He adds as he draws his gun and levels it at my head in one fluid motion.

**Okay, don't kill me guys. Let me know what you think and what you are expecting for the rest of the attack. Love you guys!**


	27. Chapter 26

**So FF was being weird yesterday and it took me until today before it would let me view reviews from last chapter, ugg. So not much else is new, just the usual stress, but writing this and hearing from you guys makes it so much better.**

**Olivia-Ivy**** – Lol, well I can promise that at least one of them does survive. :)**

**pmollymay**** – I'm sorry, but it had to be done.**

**Thoreau**** – You want to know something funny, I didn't consciously realize what I was doing until about halfway here when I realized that I had been laying the groundwork for this moment from day one. Oh and as far as your thought about what you might do next, I think you might be overestimating my character.**

**Chapter 26**

**Eric's POV**

When I wake up I have a splitting headache and the sounds of gunfire and yelling are right under me. I push myself to my feet, remembering Carl hitting me over the head. I reach to unholster my gun, only to find that it is gone.

I hurry to the door to the stairwell and quickly begin my descent. I have gone down about two floors when I hear a man's voice. I slow my pace and listen as I continue down.

"Did you really think it was a coincidence?" The man asks with a sneer, "That I was the one who found you and him that day during capture the flag?" The man laughs, "It's probably good that you didn't stay in Erudite if you did."

"What are you talking about Carl?" A woman's voice replies, sounding slightly shaken. If I didn't know better, and if I wasn't absolutely positive that Eaton valued his life, I would say that the voice belonged to my fiancé.

"Jeanine knew about you two when she sent Eric to Dauntless. She had a feeling you might go there to be with him, so she sent me to keep an eye on things," Carl replies.

Okay, I am losing confidence in my theory that the woman downstairs is not Gabby.

"Carl, what are you talking about?" I hear Jessica ask, sounding like she is in shock.

"Shut up Jess, this has nothing to do with you," He replies sharply. I sneak closer to the railing; looking down at Carl to see him pointing my gun at what I can only assume is Gabby, although she is out of my line of sight.

I watch as Carl's finger moves to click the safety off, "Jeanine told me to kill you if you became a distraction during preparations for the attack on Abnegation." He smiles, "Well, now's as good a time as any, right? I got the crap beat out of me for your escape, and while Jeanine may be a bit sad about losing her one and a half favorite test subjects, I'm sure she won't mind if the alternative was you getting away again."

"Carl, please, I know you and this isn't you," Jessica pleads, taking a step toward Carl. I keep my eyes on him as I lean down and feel for the knife in my boot.

"Shut up!" Carl yells and takes his eyes from Gabby for the first time. I take the opportunity and throw the knife, it hits him in the shoulder of his gun arm. He lets out a pained scream which is quickly drowned out by the sound of the gun going off.

"Gidget!" Her name tears from my lips involuntarily as I fly down the remaining levels toward her.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Gabby's POV**

It all happens so fast. The knife comes out of nowhere and hit's Carl in the arm, he screams, the gun goes off, Eric screams and I can hear him running down the stairs. It takes me a moment to realize that I haven't been shot.

I am relieved for a brief moment, until a small moan from my left draws my attention. Jessica is slumped against the wall, both hands clutched over her stomach. I run to her just as she slides down the wall to the ground, tenderly pulling one of her hands away to confirm my fears.

A lone tear rolls down my cheek as I pull her other hand away, "Let me look." She allows me to move her hand, but the blood is gushing too quickly. I put pressure on the wound to try and stop the blood loss and Jess lets out a blood curdling scream of pain. "Shh, shh, it's okay," I whisper quickly as the blood seeps through my fingers and her eyes land on mine for a moment before she closes them in a pained grimace.

I glance over my shoulder to find Eric standing over Carl, and if he were anyone else at this moment, I might have cared what Eric did to him. I turn back to Jess, who is now staring at me with a vacant look in her eyes. "Hey, stay with me," I instruct quickly and her eyes focus on me a little bit more. "We need to get you a doctor," I whisper quietly as I look down at the blood running out between my fingers.

"Don't leave me," She begs quietly, "I don't want to die alone."

"No, you aren't going to die," I insist quickly.

A small smile finds her lips as she echoes my words from earlier, "You are a horrible liar."

I shake my head quickly, "No, you have to stick around to be this kid's aunt and marry Jeff."

"I told you," She grimaces again and her breathing is labored from the pain, "I have no idea what you are talking about, Jeff is just a friend." She is silent for a moment, "I'd settle for you naming it after me if it's a girl," she pauses, trying her best to pout at me, "I did die saving its life after all."

"You aren't dying, but that sounds fair. I promise, even if it is a boy," She chuckles lightly but it quickly turns into a cough. I turn again to glance behind me to see if anyone is coming, "You just have to hang on a little bit longer Jess."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

When the gun shots have finally stopped, I feel Eric's hand on my shoulder. He has been standing over me, keeping an eye out as I sat with my friend. She finally slipped away a while ago, but I couldn't seem to move even after she was gone. I just sat there next to her, holding our blood stained hands together and wishing that I had been the friend she deserved.

I look up at Eric and find him staring back at me, his grey eyes filled with concern. He reaches out and pulls me up by my forearms after I've taken a moment to fold Jess' hands over her stomach. We stand there for a moment before I fist my bloody hands into his shirt, clingingly to him and sobbing into the side of his neck. His arms circle around me, holding me as tightly as he can.

Eventually, he pulls back and rubs away the tears with the pad of his thumb. "I hate to rush you," He whispers softly, "But we should head down to meet up with the rest of them."

I nod and turn to look at what I expected to be another body, but instead I find an unconscious and tied up Carl slumped in the corner. I turn back to Eric, raising an eyebrow at him.

"I decided to leave his fate up to the leaders," I am about to argue that this was an exception, or at least that I didn't care about the rules right now, but his next words shut me up. "Killing him in cold blood is something the old me would have done, and I want to be better, I want to be the man that the two of you deserve."

I slip back into his arms for a moment before pulling away so that he can wake our prisoner and drag him downstairs with us.

**So, yeah… that happened.**

**So this story is over. There will be an epilogue up later tonight, maybe tomorrow, then we begin the third and final leg of our journey. The Prologue for part 3: ****The Road Not Taken**** will be up around the same time as the epilogue for Miles to Go.**

**Let me know what you thought, and what you want to see or (perhaps more importantly) don't want to see in the AU version of Allegiant. I have a lot of ideas but I can always use more. And I just love hearing from you guys so any excuse works ;). **

**Thank you to Lady Dane once again for being my awesome beta and for helping me brainstorm titles for part 3. Love you guys, talk to you later.**


	28. Epilogue

**Well, here we are… **

**hazu23**** – I know! I cried sooo hard when I wrote that scene, but I am super over emotional so…**

**Thoreau**** – I'm sure I can get you some more drama and fluffiness, it isn't usually too hard ;)**

**Strike OOO**** – Thank you for both reviews, I'm glad you liked these chapters and I hope to keep hearing from you. **

**pmollymay**** – I know what you mean, it's always the unexpected death that gets you. I wanted Eric to have a moment of character growth, but not killing Carl off was hard for me.**

**Olivia-Ivy**** – I know, I loved writing her. But someone had to die… I mean, maybe "had to" is the wrong choice of words, but you know what I mean. **

**Lady Dane**** – Lol, I loved your reviews, and thank you again for being my beta. And I agree, Carl will be in a world of hurt, especially if Gabby gets ahold of him. **

**Epilogue**

**Eric's POV**

I am standing on the roof with Gabby when they come. Evelyn Johnson is the first person through the door, followed by two of her guards, and finally Four.

"Eric," The Factionless leader announces grandly, "You've been charged with crimes against humanity for conspiring with the criminal and former leader of Erudite, Jeanine Mathews, along with your part in the attack on Abnegation."

One of her guards approaches me from either side. I recognize one of them from initiation this year, Eddy or Edward I think his name was. Gabby tries to run in front of me, to block them from taking me, but one of the men pushes her to the ground.

"Hey," I yell back, lunging for the guard who shoved her, but Edward has his gun to my head before I can reach his comrade. "Okay, Okay," I reply putting my hands up, "I'll come quietly, but leave her out of this."

Four leaves his mother's side, coming over to help Gidget off of the ground, holding her by the shoulders to stop her from jumping at one of the guards. I watch as he whispers something to her before looking up to gives me a short nod; just enough to let me know that he'll look after her.

Evelyn nods to the two men holding me, I am led into the stairwell and toward the rooms where prisoners of Erudite and Jeanine's test subjects were kept just hours ago. I am shoved into a cell with two Dauntless traitors and an older Erudite man.

"Trials will be held over the next few weeks, those who are judged to be innocent will be free to go and the rest of you will be executed," Edward announces before leaving and locking the cell door behind him.

**THE END**

**Thank you guys so much for all of the support. You guys have been amazing and I am so, so fortunate to have all of you reading my work. I am really proud of this story and that I have kept up with it and I am glad I was able to share it with so many awesome people. It just absolutely blows my mind to look and see that this story has just short of 300 reviews, that's insane. I hope to continue hearing from you guys for the rest of the story. The Prologue for The Road Not Taken will be up in a little bit. **


	29. AN

**Hello again everyone! I just wanted to let you know that the Prologue for The Road Not Taken is up! Sorry it took me a bit longer to get it posted, I have been really really sick again and they have had me on some really strong medication. Let's just say that I have been less than coherent these past couple days.**

**Olivia-Ivy**** – Not going to lie, I do enjoy it. But would you even still be reading if it were all sunshine and lollipops all the time? Wow that was a terrifying mental image…**

**Thoreau**** – I did, and I will! Don't cry!**

**Strike OOO**** – Sounds like a deal!**

**Redapples – Well I can assure you that I am not quite that cruel, I couldn't have actually ended it there. Glad you like the story!**

**Laura013**** – Glad to hear from you again! And I make no promises, but I can promise to try not to become Veronica Roth in this aspect.**

**morbidly-funny**** – Gald you have liked it so far and I hope to keep hearing from you!**

**Guest – Someone didn't read my authors note… The story isn't over yet.**

**I hope to keep hearing from all of you in part 3! The fact that this story got 303 reviews still absolutely blows my mind. **

**I guess all that's left to say is Thank you.**


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